Recover Oregon unveils 12-step plan to end addiction crisis
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- With the second highest level of untreated addiction in the country, addiction is considered a public health crisis in Oregon.
On Wednesday, Oregon Recovers held a press event to discuss their 12-step plan for ending the addiction Crisis in Oregon.
As part of the plan, Oregon Recovers is calling for the amendment of Measure 110, 7,000 new inpatient beds, mobilizing temporary detox and respite hospitals, confiscating illegal substances and raising alcohol prices.
“We need a statewide response to the addiction crisis that matches the size of the problem. Simply ‘fixing’ Measure 110 or banning open use of drugs will not end Oregon’s addiction crisis,” said Mike Marshall, executive director of Oregon Recovers.
Oregon’s recovery system is not broken—it’s fractured and incomplete. There are four pillars to the kind of recovery-based continuum of care we need: prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery. This requires a coordinated response to the addiction crisis that strengthens each pillar. Which means: a focus on prevention. More beds and no more waitlists. Police confiscation of street drugs. Attracting and retaining more people to the behavioral health workforce. Raising alcohol pricing to curb excessive and underage drinking. And amending, but not ending, Measure 110.”
Read the full 12-step plan below:
According to Oregon Recovers, Oregon currently ranks 50th in terms of access to treatment while the state has the highest rate of meth use in the country and excessive alcohol use is the third leading cause of preventable death.
The main goals of their 12-step plan, Recover Oregon said is to:
- Reduce fatal overdoses by 50% within one year
- Reduce alcohol-related deaths by 50% within a year
- Eliminate wait times for detox, residential treatment and recovery housing within six months