In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, ETS hosted “Together We Can,” a remembrance event for those who’ve died by overdose. Together, our community called for collective action to improve treatment, reform drug policy, reduce stigma, acknowledge the grief we share, and honor those we have lost. (Images by Ted Zee)
Attendees wrote the names of friends, family, neighbors, and loved ones who lost their lives to overdose.
ETS REACH Director of Housing Febben Fekadu and Director of Integrated Care Michelle Conley led us through a short program. In 2023 alone, King County saw more than 1,000 fentanyl-related deaths. Though numbers are lower in 2024, even one death by overdose is too many.
Milli Militi, one of our speakers, founded Fentanyl United Crisis Coalition after her son’s fatal overdose. Milli shared her story and reiterated that drug use can impact anyone, from any walk of life.
We also heard from Jessica Brown. Jessica stopped using in 2020 when she gave birth to her son. She shared that while she was able to move up from her “rock bottom,” many others lost their lives before they had the chance to seek help.
We’re grateful to our speakers who chose to share their stories with our community.
ETS’s Treatment in Motion van was available onsite for anyone interested in signing up for treatment. ETS staff also provided training on how to use Narcan, an overdose-reversing drug.
Thank you to all who joined us. When we come together as a community, we are stronger than ever. Together, we will continue working to prevent overdose and support people’s journeys to recovery. Read more about the remembrance event and the state of the fentanyl crisis in King County in The Seattle Times.
