Celebrating a Year of Huge Accomplishments

2023 proved to be a busy year for the CATT, a year that saw the project move from planning work to implementation. It’s exciting to see how all the work we have done to develop the program models and find the right sites is bringing the program to reality. Here are a few key accomplishments:

• In June, R&H Construction joined the team. R&H will renovate both buildings, including building a 14,000 square foot addition to the Evergreen site.
• During the summer, we were excited to receive funding recommendations from both the federal government ($2.5 million earmark) and the Oregon Legislature ($5 million in future lottery bond dollars).
• In the fall, we held several open houses to share information about the CATT and answer questions from community members and stakeholders. Two of these events focused on local legislators while another emphasized connecting with the neighboring community.
• In October, leadership from both Washington County Behavioral Health and CODA, Inc. attended the national sobering conference in Washington DC. There, staff met other sobering providers who shared their insights on best practices and successes.
• In November, we selected the organization that will provide peer recovery services in the community services building. Keep reading below to find out who joined the CATT team!

These are only a few of the activities that happened over the past year. Another highlight is the expansion of the project team working to bring the CATT to life. We now have dozens of people working on the CATT including project managers, engineers, clinicians, and others from a host of disciplines. It’s exciting to see everyone working toward the same goal of expanding access to substance use treatment services in Washington County.

A rendering of the future CATT Intensive Services Building in Beaverton.

What's on the Horizon for 2024?

As exciting as 2023 was, we expect 2024 to be even more eventful as we begin renovation on both buildings. But not all the work will be centered on the buildings; read on to learn more about what is coming up in 2024:

• One area of focus will be developing a model for integrated health services at the CATT. This work will kick off in January with the goal of having a potential model identified by early summer.
• With construction about to begin, we are shifting some of our focus toward how the building will look and feel on the inside. Staff are beginning to pick out new furniture and deciding what existing furnishings can be reused. 
• To create a warm and healing environment, we are starting to consider artwork for the walls, including the possibility of highlighting artists in recovery.
• In March, we expect to break ground on the Hillsboro building renovation. R & H Construction has assembled a team of subcontractors to transform the old Yahoo! building into a hub of services and supports.
• In July, we expect construction to begin on the Beaverton building. This site includes constructing a whole new building and heavily renovating the existing building. These two buildings will be connected by a breezeway.

We will continue to provide updates in this newsletter and on our website as we move forward with the CATT in 2024. Stay tuned and please invite others to follow our progress!