Harm Reduction Program

Opioid Use Prevention, Education and Support

You can quickly access information, resources and live support 24 hours a day by texting the word “Opioid” to 898211.  You will be guided through a series of questions to assess what information and resources you need first.  This can include information about overdose reversal medication or treatment options.  During the text exchange, you can opt to text with a live specialist at any time.  Depending on the situation, you may receive a series of sequenced follow-up texts over several months. 

Prescription / Medication Disposal Sites Available

Okanogan County has three permanent medication disposal sites available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at:

More locations can be found to dispose of unused medications, including medication for pets, at medtakebackwashington.org

Since Okanogan County's first Prescription Drug Take Back Day in September 2010, hundreds of pounds of unused prescription drugs have been disposed of safely. There has been a nearly 70% decrease in 10th grade students reporting using prescription drugs to get high. Visit Up and Away and Out of Sight or Lock Your Meds or search the internet for more resources and continue doing your part to keep kids safe by disposing of medicine safely and properly. 

Additional information can be found on the Washington State Department of Health webpage for Safe Medication Return.

Suicide Prevention Crisis Lifeline

988 has been designated as the three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. When you call, chat or text 988, you will be connected to trained counselors who are part of the Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how problems are affecting you, provide support, and connect you to resources if necessary. 
To learn about what happens when you call, chat or text with the Lifeline, click here (PDF).

988 Crisis Lifeline >>> Call 988 CHAT online TEXT from cell phone
Military Service / Veterans >>> Call 988 CHAT online TEXT from cell phone 
Native Americans >>> Call 988 CHAT online TEXT from cell phone

Syringe Exchange Program
Okanogan County Public Health District (OCPHD) has exchanged thousands of syringes since our Syringe Exchange Program (SEP) started in 2006.  Our goal is to prevent the spread of diseases such as Hepatitis C and HIV.  We provide anonymous one-for-one exchange.  For more information, please call (509)422-7140



OCPHD, PO Box 231, 1234 South 2nd Avenue, Okanogan, WA  98840  (509) 422-7140