The Center for Addictions Triage and Treatment (CATT) is a comprehensive substance use treatment center being developed by Washington County.

The CATT Connection

JUNE 2022

Breaking News: CareOregon Commits $5 Million to Washington County's CATT Project

This week we learned that CareOregon will contribute $5 million toward the capital costs of developing the CATT! With these funds the project is close to being fully funded. We are grateful for the support. Thank you, CareOregon!

Washington County Selects a Provider for the CATT

In June, a review team accepted a proposal from CODA, Inc., to assist in the design and implementation of the intensive services portion of the CATT. “We are really excited to have CODA as the service provider,” said Kristin Burke, CATT project manager. The review team noted that CODA emphasized its intention of collaborating with local systems and culturally specific providers in the proposal. “They have been involved with the CATT project since the beginning and their proposal embraced the collaborative approach we established as a value early on,” added Burke. 


After obtaining approval from the Board of County Commissioners, we will negotiate a contract with CODA, Inc. Our goal is to have them start working on the project in early summer. Their staff will join our leadership team and begin to participate in the many project work groups. You can expect to hear much more about this topic in the coming months. 

Hillsboro location (tentative)

Architect Selected for Building Design and Renovation Work

One of the most important tasks in this next phase of the project is to select an architectural firm to design and renovate the two buildings that will become the CATT. We were fortunate to receive two excellent proposals from firms that have significant experience with projects similar to this one. Both architectural firms demonstrated alignment with the mission of the project and a clear commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.


After a review of each proposal, we offered the contract to Holst Architecture. We appreciated Holst’s experience in designing Fora Health’s new treatment center in Portland, and their commitment to engaging the surrounding community throughout the design and build process. We are currently working on executing the contract and anticipate that the firm will begin their work on the project in July. We look forward to adding Holst to our project team!

Public Safety Work Group Launches

In May we held our first meeting of the CATT Public Safety Work Group. This group has several goals, including informing safety measures for the facility and ensuring that the CATT partners successfully with first responders. We are excited to have participation from Hillsboro, Beaverton and Forest Grove police departments, along with representatives from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. 


The group will meet monthly and later expand to include representatives from Community Corrections, the courts, the District Attorney’s Office, and other public safety entities. Together we will make sure the CATT supports and integrates with other systems. We will also focus on our goal of helping people access treatment, rather than becoming embedded in the criminal justice system.

Measure 110 Dollars to Help With Capital Funding

Spring brought us some good news for funding of the CATT project! In late April we learned that Washington County was awarded Measure 110 grant funds to help cover the capital costs of the project. The final amount was determined in June and was approved by the Oversight and Accountability Council on June 17. Washington County will receive approximately $5.1 million to apply toward the project. We wish to thank the members of the Oversight and Accountability Council who voted to award funding for the CATT.

Help Erase the Stigma Around Substance Use and Treatment

Has substance use touched your life? Has stigma about substance use impacted you or someone you know?


Stigma around substance use is very real. The negative bias when discussing addiction can affect how people access or receive treatment. Stigma can also influence how loved ones support a family member who is struggling with substances. Unfortunately, stigma can be a real barrier to people getting the support they need to recover from substance use.


Washington County’s Behavioral Health Division is working on a campaign to reduce stigma about substance use and treatment. We will be creating several short videos to share on social media, streaming video and other platforms.


How you can help

We already have an amazing group of CATT Champions who are willing to participate in this important work. We want to make sure we are representing all of Washington County and are looking to add more CATT Champions. We are specifically inviting communities of color, older adults, people with disabilities and those who identify as LGBTQIA2S+. If you are interested in participating, please send an email to CATT@co.washington.or.us with your name and the best way to reach you. Please include the words "CATT Champion" in your email subject line.


CATT Champion Spotlight


Our work on the CATT is grounded in the knowledge that substance use touches all of us in different ways. As we’ve worked on the CATT project, many people have stepped forward and shared very personal stories with us about how they, or their loved ones, have been impacted by substance use. These stories have inspired us and emphasized the need to improve access to substance use care and treatment. We will be sharing stories from community members we call “CATT Champions.” Every CATT Champion has volunteered to have their story published in their own words. We hope these stories help to highlight the reason we are working hard to bring a substance use triage and treatment center to our community.


CATT Champion Jeremy


Lowell, my brother in-law, was a Washington County resident who had an on-and-off again struggle with alcohol abuse. While he was mostly sober and functioning in work and life and as a parent to two young girls, his relapses were severe and could require outside resources to resolve. On more than one occasion, the emergency room was the only available option for getting help with sobering. Lowell did not make a connection with treatment providers in these medical settings, and ultimately took his own life in the midst of a relapse. I like to think that Lowell would have stood a better chance of establishing recovery had there been a trauma-informed and peer-staffed resource like CATT available that could have created a bridge from sobering, to detox, to treatment. 


Professionally, I help manage the Medicaid behavioral health benefit in Washington County. There is no existing resource like CATT that will be open to the entire community and integrated into our local network of treatment providers. This is a sorely needed option that will save the lives of many in our community, and I’ve been honored to be a part of moving this project forward.   

Visit our website for more information and to provide feedback.


See past editions of the CATT Connection newsletter.


Not on our newsletter distribution list yet? Sign up today!