On Tuesday, Mayor Bruce Harrell joined Councilmember Lisa Herbold, Seattle Fire Department Chief Harold Scoggins, emergency medical responders, and other health leaders to give a progress update on the Health 99 overdose response unit, which began operations in July 2023.
Created following Mayor Harrell’s Executive Order issued in April to address the public health and safety impacts of the opioid and fentanyl crisis, Health 99 is a pilot program in the Seattle Fire Department for dispatching an additional unit to overdose responses to provide follow-up outreach services to individuals experiencing an overdose. The goal of the expansion is to quickly engage overdose survivors to increase acceptance of services and referrals for support.