In episode two of our Community-based Solutions for Substance Use Challenges season, Just Science sits down with Bill Barbour, Fatal Overdose Surveillance Program Manager at the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, to discuss his team’s methods for rapid toxicology results after a suspected overdose death.

For many medical examiner and coroner offices across the country, it can take several weeks to receive results for post-mortem toxicology reports, which leads to outdated drug trend data and an inability to efficiently address and prevent overdoses in the area. In response to this issue, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office in Washington applied for funding to implement the Fatal Overdose Surveillance Program, which takes a multi-pronged approach to quickly screen for drugs after a suspected overdose. Listen along as Bill discusses the goals of the Fatal Overdose Surveillance Program, the challenges of implementing drug screening technologies for rapid death certification, and how the King County office uses their findings to educate the community on emerging drug trends and prevention opportunities.