PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Service providers for addiction recovery are having mixed reactions to the newly announced tri-government emergency declaration to address the growing fentanyl crisis in Portland.
On the one hand, some are hopeful the move is a step in the right direction. On the other hand, many people working in the field said a lot more needs to be done — beyond the scope of a 90-day framework — to address an issue that has been building for years.
This all comes as fentanyl continues to kill Oregonians at record-breaking numbers. As a way to combat this drug crisis, Governor Tina Kotek, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler jointly launched the emergency declaration Tuesday, which includes a 90-day initiative.
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Though other “states of emergencies” have been declared in the past, this latest one represents the first time that a truly coordinated effort across government agencies has emerged to address the impact of fentanyl, specifically.
The state overdose data suggests that, at the current rate, 300 people will die during the next 90 days. The need to declare an emergency is obvious, experts say, but it will take longer-term commitments and resources to truly make a dent in the issue.
“Literally people are dying every day,” said Haven Wheelock, Outside In’s harm reduction manager. “90 days to fix a problem that has taken decades to create?”
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Jesse Cornett, the policy director for Oregon Recovers, said they called for an emergency declaration back in August. And while he contends, “Some action is better than no action,” he still argues the program could be more successful if “additional steps” were taken right away. That includes expanding the declaration to a statewide scope, setting clear goals, and addressing the overwhelming need for immediate access to treatment.
“If you talk to any police officer in the metro area, in Portland specifically, they don’t even have anywhere to take anyone that’s in the crisis right now,” Cornett said. “So there are some immediate first steps including a sobering center that should be taken.”
The new tri-government emergency and command center comes as Oregon has seen a rise in opioid overdose deaths in the last five years. And while OHA data is not complete for 2023, at the current pace, an estimated 1,200 people will have died.
“I think we have to do something honestly like losing this many people, friends and family members, and having leadership not address it fully and not step into it has been really harmful to the community,” said Wheelock, who has responded to two overdoses within the last month.
She added that no government magic wand or “90 day plan” will fix the current crisis. Still, she said this level of government action feels new and she’s hopeful it can be a first step in addressing the emergency she’s seen grow on the streets for the last 20 years.
“This is a crisis that has been developing for decades,” Wheelock said. “And if this is what it’s going to take to get the attention and the care and the funding and the coordination that this tragic issue deserves, then I’m going to remain hopeful about that.”
Though a lot remains to be seen how the government’s emergency plan will unfold, Governor Kotek has promised updates amid this 90 day period.
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