Overdose and Prevention Town Hall: A Pathway To Hope

The City hosted the Overdose & Prevention Town Hall: A Pathway To Hope on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the Cavelero Mid-High Commons. During this informative event attendees not only learned about trends, identification, and available recovery resources, but also had a chance to talk and connect with experts and non-profits to learn how they can personally help others in need on their road to recovery.

Presenter, Lt. David Hayes with Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force, discussed what his team does as well as current drug tends and drug identification. Presenter, Amy Wheat, Opioid Outreach Specialist, with Snohomish County Human Services, gave training on Narcan and talked about how to have conversations with family members and friends. She also handed out free Narcan kits to interested guests.

During the panel discussion, David Kitsak aka “Mericadavid” shared his incredibly moving recovery story from Fentanyl. Jordan Souriall, a Burien Police Officer, shared his knowledge on helping people off the streets and into recovery, and shared his recovery story and how his past helps him connect with others looking to recover. Sarahann Hamilton, Director of Survivor Services, at The More We Love, talked about her journey to recovery, her experience walking alongside survivors coming out of human trafficking and domestic violence, and about the intersection of addiction, homelessness, and trafficking. Dwayne Trahan, Program Manager, at The More We Love, has an incredible lens on the harms of addiction and shared stories about his experiences helping others with addiction and recovery in the Seattle area.

This event gives people interested in opioid recovery a place to come together to share experiences, knowledge, and to learn how to help others in need. The opioid crisis effects all communities and people of all ages. The town hall events showcase prevention and recovery services available to ensure people struggling know there is a community here ready to extend a hand to help. We hope to continue to host similar events in the future. Let's keep our community safe, together.