On September 26, 2018, the Northwest ATTC in conjunction with the Skagit County Public Health Department and Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, co-sponsored a community-based Recovery Month event in Skagit County called “Solution to Addiction: Know the Facts. Join the Conversation. Be Part of the Solution.”
The event, held at the Swinomish Casino & Lodge in Anacortes, WA, brought together 500 community members, county and public health officials, Swinomish tribal representatives, providers, and recovery coalitions to begin an inclusive conversation about addiction and how communities can work together to bring about lasting change.
The tagline for the event was “We all know someone,” a sentiment reflected by a number of the speakers. Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Chairman Brian Cladoosby and Skagit County Commissioner Lisa Janicki opened the event by speaking emotionally about loved ones lost to opioids. Three members of the Swinomish Tribe fatally overdosed on heroin in just 24 days in 2013, Chairman Cladoosby said. The Tribe recently opened the didgʷálič Wellness Center, the largest medication-assisted treatment facility north of Snohomish County in Washington state, as part of their ongoing efforts to support both Tribal members and others in the community in their recovery.
