NEWS GLEAMS | City Attorney Files Lawsuit for Opioid Crisis, YWCA's Femme2STEM Program Now Enrolling

A round-up of news and announcements we don't want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷

✨Gleaming This Week✨

• City Attorney's Office Files Lawsuit for Damages Resulting From Opioid Crisis
• YWCA's Femme2STEM Program Now Enrolling
• King County Green Jobs Program Requests Your Feedback

City Attorney's Office Files Lawsuit for Damages Resulting From Opioid Crisis

On Nov. 1, on behalf of the City of Seattle, City Attorney Ann Davison sued McKinsey & Co. for their role as a consulting firm that worked with Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, and other drug manufacturers.

The lawsuit states that, "On average, nearly three Washingtonians die every day from an opioid overdose, and the rate is steadily increasing. In 2021, 540 people suffered fatal opioid overdoses right here in King County … Between 2006 and 2012 alone, more than 1.8 billion opioid pills were distributed in Washington, and nearly a quarter of these opioids were directed into King County."

It asserts that McKinsey & Co. are responsible for the increase in opioid drug abuse, including prescription drugs like OxyContin as well as non-prescription drugs such as heroin and fentanyl. It alleges that, "In 2017, Seattle initiated a civil action against Purdue and other opioid manufacturers who deceptively marketed their drugs in Seattle and across the country. It is now apparent that these manufacturers did not act alone. They were guided by McKinsey, the world's preeminent management consulting firm."

The three main points the suit alleges are that McKinsey helped Prudue create misleading promotional messages; offered insights to Purdue that their marketing efforts ought to target providers who prescribe large quantities of opioids in order to be more effective; and urged Purdue to "use sales quotas and bonus payments to motivate hyper aggressive sales tactics."

With this, the City of Seattle joins numerous other cities, including Portland and Philadelphia, who have sued McKinsey in recent months for similar reasons.

YWCA's Femme2STEM Program Now Enrolling

Female-identifying or gender-nonbinary young adults ages 17 to 24 — especially those who are BIPOC and interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) career and education opportunities — are invited to enroll in YWCA's Femme2STEM program.

Femme2STEM pairs participants to STEM employers, mentors, and community, to help them overcome institutional barriers and racial and social inequities in the field.

Enroll online at YWCA's Femme2STEM website and contact Carina Forsell at CForsell@YWCAWorks.org or 206-591-3925.

King County Green Jobs Program Requests Your Feedback

King County requests public feedback on the initiatives, partnerships, and resources connected to their Green Jobs Strategy, which will launch in 2023.

A brief 5-minute survey, which closes on Nov. 4, calls for feedback from job seekers, community members, community partners/organizations, and employers. Job seekers and community members who complete the survey will be entered into a prize raffle for a $500 gift card.

Fill out the survey at SurveyMonkey.com/r/KCGreenJobs.

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