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KILLER FENTANYL: HOMELESSNESS (Pt 3 of 5)
-- {WEB}
May 7, 2023
[[The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says America’s leading cause of overdose deaths is synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl, which can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin. U.S. law enforcement says illicit fentanyl is cheaply made from chemicals mostly coming from China, trafficked through Mexico, and then smuggled into the United States. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya looks at community efforts to tackle the challenges of fentanyl abuse and homelessness.]]
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: KILLER FENTANYL: HOMELESSNESS (Part 3 of 5)
HEADLINE: Communities Confront Double Challenges of Addiction, Homelessness
TEASER: City officials struggle with how best to offer treatment services to those suffering addiction
PUBLISHED AT: 05/07/2023 at 5:41 pm
BYLINE: Natasha Mozgovaya
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Auburn, Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: Natasha Mozgovaya
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Mia Bush, Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA original
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV __ RADIO __
TRT: 2:23
VID APPROVED BY:
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: This is the third of a five-part series on fentanyl to rest in HFR ahead of combined release.))
((INTRO))
[[The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says America’s leading cause of overdose deaths is synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl, which can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin. U.S. law enforcement says illicit fentanyl is cheaply made from chemicals mostly coming from China, trafficked through Mexico, and then smuggled into the United States. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya looks at community efforts to tackle the challenges of fentanyl abuse and homelessness.]]
((NATS))
(Kent Hay) “Hey Virgil! Elizabeth!”
(Elizabeth, homeless) “Who is this?”
(Kent Hay) “It’s Kent.”
((NARRATOR))
Kent Hay has been coming to this encampment on the Green River outside Seattle for more than two years, trying to persuade people here to get addiction treatment and move to a shelter.
((NATS))
((Kent Hay, Auburn Homeless Outreach Administrator))
“If we get you approved, you are going to start in April.”
((Elizabeth))
“So, I need to get this done. OK. All right.”
((NARRATOR))
Fentanyl abuse is common here, where the smell of burning pills mixes with the aroma of campfire smoke.
((Kent Hay, Auburn Homeless Outreach Administrator))
“I think it's rare that I come across a person who's not using. And so it's hard to get those people to participate in any treatment.”
((NARRATOR))
Addressing the combined challenges of fentanyl addiction and homelessness can be politically polarizing. King County Councilmember Sarah Perry says the solution requires response on multiple levels, including community involvement.
((Sarah Perry, King County Councilmember))
“These are our people. They come from our ZIP codes. They stay in our ZIP codes. These are our kids and our parents and our siblings and our cousins. They can't just go away somewhere. We have to own this together and do the right thing, so everyone has a safe place to live, and everybody feels safe walking around. ”
((NARRATOR))
Letting fentanyl addicts decide when they are ready for treatment is inhumane, says former County Councilmember Kathy Lambert. She wants mandatory in-patient rehabilitation.
((Kathy Lambert, Former King County Councilmember))
“They need a place where they are essentially forced to use their time to get their bodies cleaned up so that they can make good decisions. And like anybody else, if you walked along the street and you saw somebody having an appendicitis attack, you don't say to them, ‘I'll take care of you when you're ready.’ You immediately scoop them up and get them services. That's what's needed here.”
((NARRATOR))
At the University of Washington Center for Community-Engaged Drug Education, Epidemiology [pronunciation: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epidemiology ] and Research, Caleb Banta-Green says improving social and medical services is more effective and less damaging than mandatory treatment.
((Caleb Banta-Green, University of Washington))
“Before we start trying to force people to treatment, what I would argue is, why don't we make far better treatment services that people actually want? Because when we do, they line up for it.”
((NARRATOR))
In the meantime, outreach workers like Hay continue to meet fentanyl addicts where they are and try to get them help.
((Natasha Mozgovaya, VOA News, Auburn, Washington))
((OUTRO: ))
[[In part four of "Killer Fentanyl," VOA looks at how social stigmas around fentanyl addiction discourage some addicts from seeking help.]]
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Auburn, Washington
Embargo DateMay 7, 2023 18:49 EDT
Byline
Natasha Mozgovaya, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
