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

The CATT Connection

AUGUST 2023

CATT Open House is September 13

Calling all neighbors! Feel free to pop in during our open house and learn more about our plans for this site once construction and remodeling are complete:

CATT Open House

September 13, 2023

4-6 p.m.

17911 NW Evergreen Place in Beaverton (map)

The open house will highlight several key elements of the CATT, including clinical services, architectural design, construction schedule, and our partnership with local public safety agencies. Information will be available in English, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean. There will also be an opportunity to meet project leaders from Washington County Behavioral Health and the Sheriff's Office, CODA and Holst Architecture. We hope to see you there!

State and Federal Legislators Commit

$7.5 Million to the CATT

We received some exciting news at the end of this last legislative session. Our elected leaders confirmed their support for increasing access to substance use disorder services by committing $5 million toward the CATT in the recent Oregon legislative session. Then, a few weeks later, we learned that Senators Merkley and Wyden are helping to bring an additional $2.5 million in federal funding to the project by supporting a bill that included money for CATT. Combined, these new funds nearly fill the projected capital construction budget gap.

We wish to thank all our elected officials who voted to fund the CATT. We’d also like to extend a huge thank you to the Washington County Government Relations team who raised the request and provided information about why the project is needed in our community. We appreciate your support!

Putting Opioid Settlement Dollars to Good Use

A large funding source for the CATT is from money the state is receiving through various settlements related to opioids. You’ve probably heard about the settlements that have occurred around marketing, distribution and sales practices of opioids. These settlements involve many companies including Purdue Pharma, Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, Janssen and others. Oregon counties and cities with populations of over 10,000 residents all receive a portion of these opioid settlement funds. The money will be distributed over 18 years and there are specific requirements about how the funds can be used.

In Washington County, we have been applying the opioid settlement dollars we have received toward the CATT project. Additionally, the cities of Cornelius, Hillsboro and Tigard have all agreed to allocate their portion of the funds toward the CATT as well. In total, this will amount to over $28 million dollars. Approximately $10 million will go toward capital and start-up expenses. Once the CATT opens, the rest of the opioid dollars will be used to support ongoing operations.

We’d like to extend appreciation to Hillsboro, Cornelius and Tigard for joining us in bringing the CATT to life! We appreciate their confidence in the project and their support for community members with substance use disorders.

The CATT Will Include Culturally Specific Services

Solutions Group NW will provide outpatient substance use treatment services at the CATT when the Community Services Building opens. In this article, Solutions Group NW chats about how it has increased culturally specific services and specifically, how it serves the Latino community.

Solutions Group NW's values are shown in the image.

Founded in 2016, Solutions Group NW added services for the Latino community in 2018. Our Culturally and Linguistically Specific Services Program has been purpose-built to deliver services to the Latino community.

The specific inequities of serving this community include health, stigma, literacy, language and financial. Additionally, the unique barriers include cognitive, affective, value-orientation, physical and structural. Building a treatment practice to serve the Latino community meant addressing all these challenges and building therapies around these that are delivered by culturally and linguistically specific counselors. Grant funding by Washington County Health and Human Services allowed us to serve the underinsured and uninsured. The impact was immediate, and the clients were able to afford the treatment and establish a bond of trust with the counselors to be able to give them the support they require. The program capacity has doubled every year since inception.

Clients have shared that the community has gone from feeling afraid and uncertain about the addiction treatment process to knowing that coming for treatment at this agency will mean being treated with compassion, understanding, expertise and financial support. They let us know that this agency has earned their respect and a reputation for providing reliable, intentional, personalized cultural services offered in Spanish.

We treated almost 200 Latino clients in 2022 and 84% successfully completed treatment. We have not only seen a positive impact and improved outcomes with our clients, but Washington County Community Corrections has seen its outcomes improve as well. When Community Corrections’ staff can refer justice-involved individuals to a culturally specific program such as Solutions Group NW, they report that reoffending drops and there is a rise in overall compliance.

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 have been 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 Ivy

When I think about all the ways that problem substance use has affected my life, and continues to affect it, there are three ways that really stand out.

I have worked at CODA’s Hillsboro Outpatient Treatment center for the last six years where substance use touches my professional life daily. Over the last two years we have lost more patients to fentanyl overdose than in the entire first four years of my career.

With increased high-risk substance use and a lack of treatment options, the situation can seem hopeless and as treatment professionals we can feel helpless. I try to focus on the areas where we ARE able to help. There is no “one size fits all” answer but there are a lot of amazing people and organizations out there making a difference where they can.

I, myself, have struggled as well. As a teenager I battled an eating disorder which ultimately led to a substance use disorder, lasting eight years. I made poor decisions during that time which led me to Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. I turned 25 there and over the last 18 years have rebuilt my life. Today I live a life that is filled with a village of support and healthy relationships.

On a very personal level, my younger brother was killed in a drunk driving accident when he was just 23 years old. The impact of this loss has forever changed the way I live my life and the way I view alcohol and substance use.

The stigma around problem alcohol and substance use can prevent people from reaching out for help and keeps people in the unhealthy cycles of addiction. When people feel safe to reach out for help, it can make our communities safer. I hope sharing my story will help decrease the stigma and encourage others to get help sooner in their struggle.

If you are struggling with substance use, getting treatment is safe and confidential. You deserve help and you shouldn’t have to be scared of the repercussions from seeking help!

Visit the Washington County Addictions Services webpage for help.

Visit our website for more information and to provide feedback.

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