(The Center Square) – In 2025, King County recorded its lowest number of overdose deaths since 2021’s 714 fatalities, a decline the region’s public health department attributes to a combination of short- and long- term intervention strategies.
As of Dec. 30, King County reported 908 overdose deaths, a 13.3% decrease from 1,047 deaths in 2024 and a 32.2% drop from the county’s all-time-high of 1,340 in 2023, according to Public Health – Seattle and King County data.
Despite the decline, overdose deaths remain significantly higher than pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. In 2019, King County recorded 429 overdose deaths.
Following the record-setting number of overdose deaths in 2023, Public Health – Seattle and King County implemented both short- and long-term strategies aimed at reducing fatalities, including a telehealth prescribing hotline – 206-289-0287 – launched in 2024.
The hotline provides prescriptions for buprenorphine, a medication that helps prevent opioid withdrawal symptoms, along with referrals to ongoing treatment and care.
Public Health also launched mobile outreach teams last year to assist homeless individuals vulnerable to drug overdoses.
Public Health is also prioritizing expanded access to naloxone, a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and is considered the standard emergency treatment.
“We’re working with community partners to provide free, anonymous access to naloxone. This includes distribution to community-based organizations, King County fire departments, vending machines, and Jail Health services,” Public Health Communications Specialist Kate Cole emailed The Center Square.
Public Health – Seattle & King County expanded staffing for primary care services at the Pathways Clinic in Downtown Seattle, allowing patients to receive both primary care and medications such as buprenorphine to treat opioid addiction.
The expansion of the listed overdose prevention services in 2025 is the result of the voter-approved $1.3 billion Crisis Care Centers Levy, which costs county property owners 15 cents per $1,000 in assessed value, meaning an average King County homeowner paid approximately $126 toward the levy in 2025.
