WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A major organization has backed Whatcom County’s effort to address the fentanyl crisis on a national level.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) on Monday, July 15, unanimously approved a resolution that was passed by the county council earlier this year asking to declare a federal emergency over the crisis.

The NACo serves nearly 40,000 county elected officials and millions of county employees across the U.S. to advocate for county priorities in federal policymaking.

Council chair Barry Buchanan and Lummi Indian Business council member Nick Lewis presented the resolution in front of leaders from over 3,000 counties at the NACo’s annual conference last weekend. The resolution emphasizes the need for local, state, tribal and federal agencies to collaborate to combat the opioid crisis.

It says declaring a federal emergency is crucial to open up more sources of funding to address the epidemic.

Monday’s vote now makes the resolution a priority for the national organization in the coming year.

It comes after the county council, Bellingham City Council and Lummi Nation have all declared a state of emergency over the fentanyl crisis.