The number of Washington youth who’ve died from overdoses has more than tripled since 2019. But when young people try to get lifesaving treatment, they face a medical and social service system riddled with logistical barriers and hamstrung by a decadeslong effort by the state to divest from providing kids care. Washington state has slowly shed its responsibility for ensuring kids and teens have access to the type of addiction care they need. Twenty years ago, schools referred youth to treatment and state agencies contracted directly with addiction care providers. Now, schools have mostly retreated and nonprofits and medical systems operate without the kind of statewide coordination that once kept kids from falling through the cracks. Desperate for help and a way out of addiction, many teens are met with resistance: Pediatricians report being uncomfortable prescribing lifesaving medications like buprenorphine, detoxification services are all but impossible to secure and the availability of treatment beds hasn’t kept pace with demand. In “High Risk,” The Seattle Times explores what it’s like to face addiction as a young person today, and how the state’s hands-off approach has led to care deserts amid a deadly fentanyl crisis.
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