In July, ETS announced that a third vehicle would join the Treatment in Motion (TIM) program. The newest addition to the TIM fleet will serve people in the Pioneer Square neighborhood with essential recovery support services, providing medication for opioid use disorder, on-site intakes, and referrals to additional services.
To celebrate, we held a launch event in Pioneer Park!
The introduction of fentanyl—a cheap, short-acting, and lethal opioid—into the street drug supply has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the United States. In King County alone, more than 1,067 people died from fentanyl poisonings and overdoses in 2023, a 47% increase from 2022.
We have safe and effective treatment that can save lives, but it must reach more people when and where they need it to reverse this devastating trend. ETS CEO Steve Woolworth introduced TIM and set the scene for this essential treatment.
“We can’t do what we’ve always done and expect different results,” Steve said. Treatment belongs in our communities, and innovation is necessary to bring it there.
Next, we heard from City of Seattle Chief Innovation Officer Andrew Myerberg. Andrew shared that addressing the fentanyl crisis is a top priority of Mayor Harrell. The city is committed to investing in innovative solutions that meet people where they are. We are incredibly grateful for the partnership of the city, county, and state—their support has made the newest TIM possible.
ETS Director of Health Innovation and Integration Sean Soth closed out the speaking program. With the launch of this mobile clinic, ETS now has three mobile treatment clinics and one mobile medical clinic in the TIM program. TIM currently serves more than 250 people in the Puget Sound.
The opioid epidemic is a massive challenge. It is through partnership, and a dedication to bringing treatment directly into our communities, that we can and will make a difference.
The event culminated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and an invitation to see the dosing windows up close.
We are grateful to our staff, our partners in this work, and our community for their dedication to our shared mission!
