More than 90 people in Multnomah County have entered a new program designed to help Oregonians who use illegal drugs avoid possession charges in court and get treatment instead.

The figure for Oregon’s largest county provides the best available picture of how the new diversion program, which began Sept. 1, is helping the Portland region fight addiction to the fentanyl-fueled drug. But it’s also an incomplete picture, one that doesn’t yet show how successful the new program will be or whether the 91 people will receive addiction treatment or other help, such as referrals to assisted housing or a homeless shelter.

In a news conference Thursday, Multnomah County officials repeatedly emphasized the newness of the program and ongoing plans to track more data on people entering and completing the program in the coming months.

“We have learned a lot about how the program works for participants, however it will be several months before we have enough data to fully understand the results the program is achieving and the long-term impact,” Multnomah County Health Director Rachael Banks. said.

The crisis remains widespread, from rural Oregon to Portland.

About 1,400 people died of fentanyl overdoses nationwide in 2023, up from just 280 in 2019, data from the Oregon Health Authority shows. In Oregon, 28 of the state’s 36 counties have agreed to begin diversion programs through House Bill 4002which parliamentarians adopted this year to combat drug addiction.

The legislation instituted a new misdemeanor penalty that recriminalized low-level drug possession in response to rising overdoses. The law also allowed, but did not require, counties to start diversion programs, which provide a way for a person to avoid court charges and prison time if they participate. Counties were given the flexibility to design their diversion programs — and the requirements for one to succeed.

How it works

In Multnomah County, participants can successfully complete the program if they complete a post-contact screening with a police officer, receive a referral to services and engage with a recommended provider within 30 days. Those who do not follow through face possible arrest and charges.

This does not necessarily mean that everyone will start treatment within 30 days. It could mean other steps, such as access to housing or related services, county officials said.

“If the shelter or the home was in their care plan and they had access to one of these things, that would be a successful diversion,” said Marc Harris, Multnomah County Health Department’s manager of strategic initiatives.

The program’s flexible arrangement comes as Oregon struggles to provide enough addiction treatment services statewide for either outpatient services or residential care. Oregon is 3,700 beds short for residential mental health or addiction services, a state report found.

However, officials also point to signs of promise on the horizon. 4D Recovery, a nonprofit addiction recovery provider in the Portland region, recently opened a outpatient treatment center in Gresham. The organization also contracts with Multnomah County and provides outreach services to assist police officers in the field.

Tony Vezina, 4D’s executive director, said the center will help efforts in the eastern part of the county and did six new client evaluations on Tuesday, the first day.

In terms of setting up the program and the role of treatment, Vezina said everyone has the same goal of getting people as much help and treatment as possible, which continues after the first month and completion of the program.

“It wouldn’t mean the aid would stop at that point,” Vezina said.

The county also has a contracted drop-in center where police can take people who may decide to participate in diversion for initial screenings and connections with peer mentors. The Pathway Center, run by Tuerk House, a Baltimore-based drug and alcohol treatment provider, opened in mid-October at 900 SE Sandy Boulevard in Portland’s East Central District.

From October 14 to October 31, the center received 19 referrals from law enforcement officers for possible cases of misconduct. Of these, 13 people started the offense.

“We are encouraged by the response of participants and their willingness to seek treatment,” Tuerk House CEO Bernard Gyebi-Foster said in a statement.

There are plans to expand the center in 2025 with services to develop.

Generally, arrests on drug possession charges outnumber those who commit offenses. In Multnomah County, police agencies countywide have made 262 arrests for misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance since Sept. 1, according to data from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission.

Not all of these people are eligible for the offense. If they are facing additional charges or have a warrant for their arrest from a previous case, they do not qualify.

However, police and health officials point to individual success stories.

Portland Police Bureau Commander Brian Hughes told an account of a woman who began to swerve. In that case, an officer saw a homeless woman smoking methamphetamine from a pipe near a popular coffee shop. The officer roped in the woman to help her, Hughes said, aiding public safety and her welfare.