Plenary Session—Utilizing Law Enforcement Touchpoints to Connect Individuals at Risk of Overdose with Recovery Resources

The King County, Washington, Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) Team, in collaboration with the Seattle-King County Public Health Overdose Prevention and Response Team, implemented a training at the Seattle, Washington, Police Department to educate officers about buprenorphine and the local resources available for patients to access it. Officers were trained on the role of buprenorphine in treating opioid use disorder (OUD) and provided with business card-sized handouts containing information about King County’s 24/7 buprenorphine hotline and the Washington Recovery Helpline. These handouts can be distributed during law enforcement interactions with individuals at risk of overdose, offering a direct connection to substance use treatment and recovery resources. By leveraging the frequent touchpoints between police officers and individuals with OUD, this initiative transforms routine police encounters into opportunities for intervention, fostering connections to recovery services and ultimately increasing the utilization of lifesaving resources.