Skagway’s Public Safety Committee met Wednesday evening to discuss the recent loss of two community members to apparent opioid overdoses. Officials shared resources that could help people facing addiction and those who care for them.

The meeting was packed; during public comments the facilitator called for questions from people standing in the hall. 

Mayor Andrew Cremata spoke of actions taken to spread Narcan kits throughout the community. The medication can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and save lives.

Cremata:”I do have the  authority to make sure that we have kits in our businesses and in our building and so tomorrow we are going around to distribute them. And I’ve reached out to some of the businesses including some of the bars, social clubs, I talked to the manager about getting them into the departments, and these kits are wall mounted and they will be made available, and we are going to expand that program in the spring so that they are in our seasonal housing.”

Cremata talked about various groups ready to come and assist during the crisis, some include mental health care dogs.

Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau is providing assistance. Erin Hardin, Community Relations Director at Bartlett spoke with KHNS about what is being put in place.

Hardin:”Our behavioral health leadership team has been in contact with Skagway city leadership, to discuss what support we might be able to provide the community, at this time we have provided assistance through our psychiatric emergency services line, which is the phone number that anyone in the community of Skagway can call at any time, and speak with a behavioral health or a mental health clinician.”

That number is 907 796 8217 

Hardin:”That phone call would help our staff do an initial triage, and if it is determined that additional support is needed, they would likely be referred to our outpatient psychiatric clinic, where they could have further conversations with clinicians, and they could do that all virtually.”

Hardin said Bartlett will provide whatever is needed.

Hardin:”We have offered and are standing by to provide crisis support in person back to the community of Skagway. So we’ve made that offer and we are just waiting to hear what is needed from Skagway leadership. 

Thomas Steiner, Interim Executive Director at the city-owned Dahl Memorial Clinic in Skagway, spoke of the commitment of its staff to treat addicted patients without judgment. The clinic is currently operating without a mental health provider, but Steiner told KHNS that’s about to change.

Steiner:”:We have a behavioral health professional coming in first week of March. As a permanent employee.”

Steiner would not give more details as the contract has not been signed yet.

The Public Safety Committee went on with a thorough presentation by the state Department of Health’s Megan Brockelsby about the use of Narcan, and the testing of drugs for fentanyl. She demonstrated how to use the kits that are being spread around town, and answered questions from the public. 

Because Narcan is useful for any opioid, she says patients with a legal prescription for opioids can benefit from having the kits on hand. She also pointed out that illegal drugs should be disposed of properly, as flushing them down the sewer system could affect municipal workers.

Mark Timothy Baker Jefferson spoke during the comments, linking suffering, hope and redemption.

Baker Jefferson: ”Probably the favorite thing about his town are the roses here. I can get within two and a half three blocks of them and they cripple me because the smell of them. They are pure. You can’t buy a rose anywhere in any store that smells like the roses up here.  In the wintertime, there’s no roses left, there is only the thorns. Everyone forgets about the thorns until that’s all you can see. Well now that’s all you can see are the thorns of Skagway. Let’s everybody be the spring of Skagway. And allow everyone to grow as a rose. Because we are all flowers in the garden. This is the garden city we all have to do the work and make sure we grow the fruit that is nourishing for everybody. Thank you.”

There are links on our website to the municipality ‘s flier (the number for psychiatric services is 907 796 8217, not 769 as indicated in the current version of the flier) and press release, with information on available services, and the public safety committee meeting audio link.