Multnomah County is set to open the doors of the new Coordinated Care Pathway Center next Monday, providing a pivotal step forward in the expansion of their deflection system. This announcement, made earlier today, sets October 14, 2024, as the date the community will gain access to an essential service designed to deflect individuals carrying small amounts of illegal substances away from the criminal justice system and towards treatment and recovery options. The facility at 980 S.E. Pine St. is aimed at enhancing the connection between law enforcement efforts and available behavioral health and addiction resources. According to the news release published by Multnomah County, it aligns with the parameters set forth in House Bill 4002.
The response of law enforcement partners to the establishment of the Pathway Center as the number one request, as Jessica Vega Pederson, Multnomah County Chair, noted in a statement made by Multnomah County. "Our commitment to building a successful, coordinated system that connects those eligible for deflection with behavioral health and addiction resources continues with this opening. This next step is also our quickest way to the sobering services we know is one of our most pressing needs," she said. Notably, the center will operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends, with security patrolling the facility's perimeter 24/7.
In a region grappling with high rates of substance use disorders, the Pathway Center is expected to fill a wide gap in service availability, a concern underscored by a 2022 inventory from the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. It was found that nearly 131,000 people suffered from a substance use disorder, and 99% of them had unmet treatment needs. The launch of the Center, coupled with the Oregon Legislature's approval of $121 million to bolster addiction treatment infrastructure, marks significant progress towards addressing these needs, despite the workforce shortage looming over new projects.
"We are looking forward to Monday’s opening of the Coordinated Care Pathway Center," Bernard Gyebi-Foster, CEO of Tuerk House, which operates the center, told Multnomah County. "We are confident in the team and facility we have in place, and we are eager to welcome the people of Multnomah County and support their recovery journeys." Plans for the center's future include up to 16 sobering beds by April 2025 and the expansion of referral sources to encompass various first responders.
Since the implementation of Oregon's law change on September 1, 2024, which now categorizes carrying a small amount of illegal drugs as a misdemeanor, 71 people have been referred to the County's new deflection program by law enforcement. As the Coordinated Care Pathway Center prepares for its opening, Multnomah County continues to work diligently towards fulfilling its commitment to redirect individuals towards recovery and mental health services, an alternative to the traditional legal system. In the meantime, the Board of County Commissioners has taken actions to ensure steady progress, having voted on September 19, 2024, for expedited procurement of a permanent space for a larger sobering center and aiming to issue a request for proposals early next year.
