meanwhile Portland Area 90-Day Fentanyl Emergency Data shows that overdose deaths have increased since the state was declared by elected officials and have not decreased since.
So what did the emergency order accomplish?
Critics of the proclamation, especially the county Commissioner Sharon MeylanHe says it was a failed effort without a clear goal.
But city, county and state health officials say the move lays the groundwork for better days to come, sparking new efforts that studies suggest will reduce addiction and deaths. But it will be a slow process, and officials acknowledge it could take months or even years to see results.
There were 73 suspected or confirmed fatal overdoses in Multnomah County in May and another 74 last month, according to preliminary data. Overdose DashboardThose numbers are likely to fluctuate because it can take months for medical examiners to determine a cause of death. There were 65 and 78 drug-related deaths in Multnomah County in May and June 2023, respectively. About 80% of those deaths were due to fentanyl, according to the data.
According to the dashboard, nearly 200 people died of suspected or confirmed drug overdoses during the 90-day state of emergency, which lasted from Jan. 30 to April 29. During the same period in 2023, 172 people died in the county from fatal drug overdoses.
County Health Director Richard Bruno said the number of deaths hasn’t decreased, but the increase in overdoses, which had skyrocketed in recent years, is slowing. Overdose deaths are averaging 43 per month in 2022, up from 65 last year, according to the dashboard. So far in the first half of 2024, the average has hovered around 64.
“We’re not seeing the same exponential increase as we saw a few years ago when fentanyl first hit the market,” Bruno said. “It’s still increasing, but it’s not as dramatic as it was before.”
Governor Tina Kotek, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson all said the emergency orders helped their respective municipalities coordinate services and establish stronger communication. A 121-page report detailing the results of the emergency orders cited the launch of a fentanyl data dashboard, improved intergovernmental coordination and increased outreach between law enforcement and medical nonprofits as key successes.
“The value to me was understanding what everyone is doing and asking, ‘Are there any gaps that we might need to address?'” said Chris Voss, Multnomah County Emergency Management Director.
County officials said both state and city agencies have a role to play; Portland Fire Station And doubled Police bike squad To respond to overdoses: The Oregon Health Authority funds and distributes naloxone, a drug that can reverse most opioid overdoses.
But many of the Portland-area public health services are the responsibility of Multnomah County, which has launched several initiatives with help from Portland agencies to strengthen existing programs to curb deadly drug use during and after the 90-day emergency, county officials said.
The Oregonian/OregonLive asked for a list of initiatives underway once the declaration ends. Here’s what officials highlighted:
Expanding addiction treatment
The county is expanding access to buprenorphine and methadone, medically-assisted drugs used to ease withdrawal symptoms, and has secured funding for a mobile medical van that can administer methadone on-site instead of calling patients to a clinic.
Currently, county clinics offer buprenorphine, with 1,200 patients taking it. Portland Fire Rescue, with the help of the nonprofit Central City Concern, is also working with the county to administer the drug. Officials say paramedics will offer the drug to patients who receive naloxone and, if they agree, will give them a ride to Central City Concern for treatment.
The medications are also available at the county jail, and county health workers are working to connect people released from the jail with medical recovery services.
Faster autopsy reports
Medical experts frequently cite delays in determining whether an overdose or other factors caused someone’s death as an obstacle to how best to respond to a crisis, so the Multnomah County coroner’s office is now using a new method to speed up overdose confirmation, Bruno said.
Instead of waiting months for toxicology and lab results, Bruno said the coroner will run a urine test and get the results the same day. County spokesman Ryan Yambra said the county is piloting the method so medical experts can compare the results to lab results to determine their accuracy.
Increase the number of outreach workers
The county has hired more outreach workers to connect with homeless people who may be struggling with substance use disorder. The county hired two outreach workers this month for its “Promoting Access to Hope” team.
The Oregon Mental Health & Addiction Coalition, in partnership with the city, will deploy outreach workers five days a week to connect people with drug treatment and other services. They will work with Portland police to direct drug users to shelters and treatment facilities.
Recovery Housing and Treatment Beds
Before the 90-day emergency, the county had 483 recovery care beds run by various contractors. The county added 54 more beds in June and plans to add 14 more in August through Volunteers of America. The Blackburn Center in East Portland also added 27 beds for people referred through the county program.
More Naloxone
Over the past two months, the Multnomah County Health Department has distributed nearly 19,000 doses of naloxone to individuals and advocacy groups, and officials are hiring coordinators to monitor the overdose-reversing drug and are considering options for making it more widely available to people living on the streets.
During the 90-day emergency period, the Save Lives Oregon Harm Reduction Clearinghouse has launched a naloxone distribution program to provide the medication to counties across Oregon.
Awareness Campaign
Multnomah County officials have launched two advertising campaigns to encourage drug recovery and warn Oregon youth about the dangers of fentanyl. The “Recovery Is Possible” campaign was launched in March to “inspire and support more people to connect with recovery services.”
The “Prepare for Fentanyl” ads, which began rolling out in late April, target young people between the ages of 13 and 20 and warn them that taking pills that may contain fentanyl can have deadly consequences. Authorities say thousands of people have visited web pages and links related to the public safety announcements.
What’s next?
County health officials said they continue to expand recovery options and find other solutions to the crisis, but acknowledged that some programs could take months or years to be effective.
“Whether these efforts, especially the broader, upstream efforts, bear fruit will take time,” Bruno said. “That’s something that our epidemiologists and the many people who are doing this work on the ground are constantly working on.”
Meanwhile, the county Struggling to Organize The state has taken steps to re-criminalize possession of small amounts of drugs, and counties are tasked with opening so-called deflection centers, which give people caught with drugs the choice of either arresting them or going to a center for substance abuse testing and a treatment referral.
The no-frills drop-off center is scheduled to open on September 1st in East Portland.
— Austin De Dios covers Multnomah County politics, programs and more. Reach him at 503-319-9744. email address Or @AustinDeDios.
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