Community Government Health & Wellness

Facing Fentanyl town halls set for Gig Harbor, Key Peninsula

Pierce County, Peninsula School District and Gig Harbor officials are hosting a town hall at the city’s civic center next month to discuss the local impacts of the fentanyl crisis.

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Fentanyl is having devastating impacts on our communities and affecting people across the economic spectrum, Pierce County Councilmember Robyn Denson said in a statement announcing the “Facing Fentanyl” Town Hall series. The series will include meetings in both Gig Harbor and on the Key Peninsula.

“Fentanyl doesn’t care who you are, where you live, what you look like or how much money you have,” said Denson, who represents Gig Harbor. “One pill, whether intentionally taken or not, can kill.”

Town hall on Oct. 7

The Gig Harbor town hall will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 7. A similar town hall at the Key Peninsula Civic Center follows on Oct. 21. Denson, city officials, first responders, law enforcement, treatment providers, Peninsula School District leaders and Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department staff will lead the event.

Attendees will be able to ask questions, express concerns and share ideas for solutions. Following a Q&A, experts will lead breakout groups exploring how to talk with kids about fentanyl, community safety, treatment options and other topics.

The first 100 attendees will receive naloxone, a medication sold under the brand name Narcan that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Chantell Harmon Reed, director of public health for Tacoma Pierce County Health, said in a statement that the goal of the meeting is to save lives. According to the health district, opioid overdoses are the leading cause of preventable death among adults in Pierce County. 

“We need to educate people on the dangers of fentanyl with the goal of preventing its use, but we also must be practical and teach people how to save the life of someone experiencing an overdose,” she said. “We know too well that they may be saving the life of a loved one.”

Conor Wilson is a Murrow News fellow, reporting for Gig Harbor Now and the Bremerton-based newspaper Kitsap Sun, through a program managed by Washington State University.