PORTLAND, Ore. — Starting Sunday, Sept. 1, possession of hard drugs will become a crime again in Oregon. People caught solely in possession of small amounts of drugs will have the option of treatment over jail. It's all part of Multnomah County’s deflection program.
Through the initial weeks of the program, Portland Fire & Rescue will partner with Portland police and offer life-saving medication to people caught in possession of drugs and suffering withdrawal symptoms.
“It’s a good resource that we definitely could use,” said Jeff, who is homeless in Southeast Portland and addicted to methamphetamines.
“Like, I’d choose it right now ... I’d love to go to treatment,” added his friend Amber, addicted to the same drug.
There will soon be a place — a deflection center on Portland's Central Eastside — for officers to bring people like Amber and Jeff to get connected to medical and recovery services. It was supposed to open on September 1, but got pushed back to sometime in October in a last-minute decision by Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson.
Until the center opens, the county will launch a “mobile deflection program” sending outreach workers to meet drug offenders on the streets. Portland police will also call Portland Fire & Rescue's overdose response team known from the Community Health Assess and Treat (CHAT) program to administer withdrawal medicine. The medication is called Suboxone and comes in a small strip that quickly dissolves in the mouth.
“If we can connect with those individuals, we can show them, ‘Hey here’s an alternative. Ten minutes from now you’re going to be feeling a lot better,’” explained Paul Keltner, a PF&R community health nurse.
The goal is for that moment of relief to result in the person being willing to accept long-term treatment.
“It is the hope of everyone involved in this deflection setting that we can provide them this opportunity to recognize there is a pathway for success,” added Rick Graves, spokesperson for Portland Fire and Rescue.
However, resources are limited. Currently, Portland Fire & Rescue's CHAT team can only offer this medicine four days a week.
“We would love to see the opportunity to have that funded to be 24/7,” said Graves. They are looking to an outside funding source such as Multnomah County to help them grow the program.
Officials at the county admitted this week that due to their own staffing issues, only those caught in possession of drugs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday will be offered the option of of deflection. Outside those hours, people will be cited or taken to jail.
The CHAT team does not offer people the option for deflection. That falls under the police bureau's role in the program.
It’s unclear what role Portland Fire & Rescue will have once the county’s deflection center is open in October.