The didgʷálič Wellness Center has opened its second mobile medical unit in the downtown Bellingham parking lot of the First Baptist Church.
Mobile Medical Units are Federal Drug Enforcement Agency-approved locations for dispensing methadone, vivitrol and suboxone for people interested in medication-assisted treatment services for addiction. The first mobile medical unit in Bellingham started operating in January and is located on Division Street.
The word didgʷálič means in Lushootseed “where the camas was dug.”
Leon John, the outreach director of the didgʷálič Wellness Center, said the location at the First Baptist Church offers services from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“At the First Baptist Church, we offer counseling, intake and assessments there, plus dosing on site,” John said.
Joe Day, the transportation lead at the wellness center, said dosing is when someone is on methadone and talking with a doctor to figure out a treatment plan to slowly wean off fentanyl.
“This one specifically is just for dosing. Our site up on Division Street off Hannigan, they have the counselors and the doctors up there," Day said.
The didgʷálič Wellness Center is operated by the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and it provides medical and social services to people with substance abuse disorders. Day said the wellness center, located in Anacortes, has dental and mental health services as well as regular counseling.
“It's another place where we can get help to the people that need it, that are trying to get off drugs and trying to beat this to get their lives started again, get their kids back or just get sober, get into some housing,” Day said. “And there's just so much that we do. And we're just out here trying to help people.”
Bellingham city council member Dan Hammil helped facilitate a partnership between didgʷálič and Whatcom County Health and Community Services.
“While we have seen a reduction in overdoses from fentanyl use in Bellingham, there is still a clear need for these services,” Hammil said.
According to the Washington State Department of Health, since 2019, the annual number of opioid drug overdose deaths in Washington has doubled, from 827 deaths in 2019 to 1,619 in 2021.
“I don't know if you've been downtown or not, but there are a lot of people that struggle with drug use,” John said.
Day said since the second mobile medical unit opened on Nov. 10, three to six people have come daily to use its services.
“There's just so many people in need nowadays and so many people are hurting and trying to find a way out. And that’s what we're trying to do,” Day said. “We walk over to the library. We pass out Narcan kits, snacks, band-aids, grooming kits. Today we're giving out ponchos.”
In addition to the mobile medical units in Bellingham and the wellness center in Anacortes, the wellness center also has a mobile medical unit in Concrete, Wash.
Day said when the mobile medical unit is closed, a driver comes through and takes people where they need to go. Monday through Friday, a driver from the didgʷálič Wellness Center comes at the top of the hour and brings them to the center in Anacortes. Day said that if they had a mental health appointment, the driver would take them to the mobile medical unit on Division Street.
The wellness center said the mobile medical units will provide a navigator or a tribal assistant to help new clients.
“Because of the crisis we're in, we need to be able to give people options and give people hope,” John said.
For more information about the didgʷálič Wellness Center, call 360-588-2800. The Bellingham mobile medical unit next to the First Baptist Church operates from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday to Friday, and the mobile medical unit on Division Street operates from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
“A lot of us are in sobriety and we just know what it's like to be down and looking for help and (we're) just trying to be that hand that reaches out to somebody who wants it,” Day said.
Adah Bassok (she/her) is a city news reporter for The Front this fall quarter. She was previously a campus life reporter for The Front, and she is a news and editorial journalism major at Western. Outside of the newsroom, you can find her reading and exploring the outdoors. You can reach her at adahbassok.thefront@gmail.com.
