U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, has launched a Central Washington task force to address the fentanyl crisis.
The task force will include law enforcement, addiction treatment and other medical professionals, drug court officials, school resource officers, tribal leaders, elected officials and community leaders.
Their aim is to quantify the crisis in Central Washington by looking at state, local and federal data; assess current resources available and figure out where gaps exist; talk about potential state, local and federal legislation that will help address the crisis; and help educate the public.
“We cannot stand idly by while this deadly drug ravages our communities, claiming lives and tearing families apart,” Newhouse said in a news release.
Opioid overdoses and deaths have increased statewide, according to data from the Washington Department of Health.
Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney, a member of the task force, said the fentanyl crisis strikes constant fear in the hearts of parents who worry about their children’s safety.
“As a mother to young children, I share in the frustration over the lack of action to eliminate this deadly outbreak from crossing our borders and entering into our communities,” she said in the news release from Newhouse’s office. “I am passionately committed to finding new ways to educate all ages about the extreme risk of fentanyl and to proactively craft legislation and policies that will prevent fentanyl from plaguing our communities."