Opioid Consortium

Eastern Washington Opioid Consortium

As the organizer of the consortium, The Northwest Communities Education Center/Radio KDNA (NCEC/KDNA) is well-equipped to lead efforts. NCEC/KDNA is a community based non-profit organization located in the heart of the Yakima Valley. Radio KDNA “Radio Cadena” is a public radio station funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The mission of NCEC/KDNA is to direct its efforts as a minority organization in response to the cultural and informational isolation of Hispanic/Latino and other disadvantaged communities. NCEC/KDNA produces quality radio programming to help such communities overcome barriers of literacy, language, discrimination, poverty and illness. In this way, NCEC/KDNA empowers these communities to more fully participate in our multi-ethnic society”. In the last 38 years NCEC/KDNA  has taken great strides in bringing a variety of social and educational services to the people that live in the Central and Southeastern counties of Washington State and parts of northern Oregon.  Radio KDNA consistently reaches a population of 250,000 spread over 9 counties of Washington state that live in mostly rural communities that are largely composed of Hispanic farmworkers and family members.

Through the leadership of NCEC/KDNA, a Yakima Valley Opioid Consortium was form in 2018 with a committed group of 50+ members in which 25 different community-based organizations are represented.  It is a regional partnership that seeks to promote healthy, educated choices about drug use and abuse in Yakima County so that we can proudly say opioid use among youth and adults has been eliminated. Representation includes groups on the front lines of the opioid crisis (first responders, law enforcement, etc.), healthcare professionals who provide a range of services around management and relapse prevention, education (K-12 schools and colleges and universities), along with community leaders and businesses.

NCEC/KDNA in partnerships with the EWOC will develop both a Spanish-language (and English-content) public radio media campaign to reach  underserved populations with a message of hope, prevention, education and treatment for opioid users or those in danger of making poor choices. Outreach to youth and adults will also take place through our partner agencies, many of whom already have successful prevention and treatment programs. The primary effort of this project is the prevention of opioid use disorders through educational outreach programs, coordination of available resources for prevention and treatment, and the addition of programs that add resilience and safety nets throughout the local communities.

Members

  • Astria Toppenish Hospital
  • Community Health Worker Coalition for Migrants and Refugees
  • Community Prevention and Wellness Coordinator
  • Coordinated Care
  • Department of Corrections
  • Dispute Resolution Center
  • ESD 105
  • Granger Police Department
  • Granger School District
  • Inspire Development Centers
  • Kaiser Permanente
  • Merit Resources
  • Molina Health Care
  • Pacific Northwest University
  • Program Village of Hope
  • SEAMAR/Northwest Communities Education Center/Radio KDNA
  • Sunnyside School District
  • Sunnyside Unidos/Unided
  • Virginia Mason Memorial
  • Washington Growers League
  • Wapato School District
  • White Swan Community Coalition
  • Yakima County
  • Yakima Health District Public Health Partnerships
  • Yakima Indian Health Services
  • Yakima Neighborhood Health Services
  • Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinics