May 2021

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Change In Plans!
Previous issues of the CATT Connection noted that staff would be presenting the CATT concept to the Board of Commissioners in April and May. The presentation has been rescheduled for July 13, 2021, but this is subject to change. Keep an eye on the CATT webpage for more information.
Q and A With The CATT Project Manager
Kristin Burke, Washington County’s project manager for the CATT, provides answers to some questions we thought would be of interest to many readers. Kristin has been developing the concept for an addictions triage and treatment center since 2019, when the project was just an idea being floated around. She is the primary author of the feasibility study that the Board of Commissioners will review in July.

Question: I thought drug and alcohol use was a choice. Do we really have that many people in our county who need treatment? 

Kristin: Yes, we do. And while someone may choose to drink or use drugs, continued use can lead to brain changes that make it tough to stop. Addiction is a medical disease that requires treatment, just like diabetes or heart disease. No matter how it begins, once a person can't stop on their own and it begins to impact their lives, help is needed.
 
Research shows that 91% of Oregonians with a substance use disorder do not receive treatment, which makes us rank near the bottom in the nation. If we just look at drinking, about 5.8% of the state's population has an alcohol use disorder. This translates to over 27,000 Washington County adults who could benefit from treatment. We need to make sure those services are available.

Question: Why is the county getting involved?  Why build it in Washington County and why build it now? 

Kristin: The County is getting involved because we sorely lack intensive substance use treatment services and have no publicly funded detox or sobering beds in our community.
 
While we have some great outpatient services here, people often must go out of the county and even out of state for help for residential services. Once someone is willing to accept help, we want them to have immediate access to care in Washington County. The CATT concept will add about 100 treatment beds to the local system of care.
 
The cost of untreated addiction in Oregon is really high, almost $6 billion dollars a year. This includes increased costs for health care and law enforcement. So the need is huge. If we do not begin to create more services now, then the impact on our community will continue to grow. The CATT is our chance to really make a difference.

Question: Where is the money coming from? Will taxpayers be asked to fund this?

Kristin: We believe there are plenty of resources out there already and we are going to actively go after those opportunities. The Behavioral Health Division has some money to put toward the project but the CATT will need a lot more.

Measure 110 was passed in November 2020 and did a couple things. First, it decriminalized possession of small amounts of substances. The other thing it did is direct marijuana tax dollars to be used for expanding substance use disorder treatment services. Our CATT concept is aligned with the goals of Measure 110 and we hope some of those dollars will be used to support this center.
 
Another place we might be able to get some resources is through lawsuit settlements with pharmaceutical companies. There has been a lot of litigation around opioid prescriptions and the county will likely receive some settlement dollars. Our commissioners may choose to use some of those funds toward this center.

Finally, we expect a number of grant opportunities to become available at the state and federal levels, and we intend to apply for those.
 
The CATT Embraces Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Washington County is one of the most diverse counties in Oregon. As we build the CATT, we must be able to serve our entire community. Historical and systemic racism has made it challenging for communities of color to get treatment that meets their needs. The CATT is an opportunity to make getting treatment for substance use disorders easier for our whole community.

Equity, diversity and inclusion are foundational principles for the CATT’s program development. To make sure we are centering on these principles an “Equity Tool” was created to guide the work. By leading with equity the center can provide better access to trauma-informed and culturally responsive services.

To make sure we heard the voices of our communities of color, the development team welcomed involvement from more than 180 people. Communities of color were invited to provide direction on how to support their needs and address barriers to treatment. This valuable information has been used in all aspects of the center’s design.
Visit our website for more information.

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