County tracks progress on deflection program
Recent changes to Clatsop County's deflection program are helping open the door for more people to access treatment.
The program, not quite 6 months old, is a response to House Bill 4002, which recriminalized possession of illicit drugs in Oregon last year after a three-year experiment with decriminalization. In coordination with the bill, the Legislature allocated more than $20 million for optional county deflection programs aimed at redirecting people out of the criminal justice system and into treatment.
Clatsop County's deflection team includes representatives from the sheriff's office, the district attorney's office, the county and Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, the county's mental health and substance-use treatment provider. The group has met biweekly since April, and officially rolled out the program in September.
In that time, they've provided training to about 60 law enforcement officers, Community Corrections Director Kristen Hanthorn told county commissioners Wednesday. They've also made changes to the program based on feedback from those officers.
When the program began, it was designed specifically for Clatsop County residents with a stand-alone drug charge.
Hanthorn said that model presented certain limitations.
'What law enforcement was finding is that they're having a lot of contact with people, but they weren't solely just the possession of drugs,' she said. 'They had all this other stuff going on, so that was preventing them from participating' in a deflection program.
Officers also didn't have a way to refer people to the deflection program if they were struggling with drug addiction but not in possession of drugs. So, in February, the deflection team made a shift.
Now, the program is also open to county residents on supervision or charged with additional low-level crimes, like disorderly conduct or minor theft. Those individuals still need to navigate the court system for their other charges, but can go through deflection to work toward getting their drug possession charges dropped.
The team has also added a second pathway to deflection for people who haven't been found in possession of drugs but want help with recovery. Since making the change this month, Assistant County Manager Monica Steele said they've already seen participation double.
So far, the team has engaged with 18 people, including 12 now in deflection and three that have graduated from the program.
Hanthorn said the majority of referrals come from the sheriff's office and the district attorney's office. Many of the people in the program are in their 30s, and around half of the cases have been related to meth possession, although some have also involved drugs like fentanyl and cocaine.
People in the program also come from a variety of housing and employment backgrounds.
'We've had graduates that have been homeless at the beginning. We've also had people come into our program and graduate that had a job, you know, that had housing,' Hanthorn said. 'And so we're hitting both gaps. It's not just homeless individuals.'
When law enforcement makes contact with someone, officers have a few options for referring them to the deflection program. If a recovery ally with Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare is available, they'll meet the person on the scene for what Hanthorn calls a 'warm handoff.' Law enforcement officers can also drop the person off at a Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare rapid access clinic in Astoria or Seaside. If neither option is possible, the person will be directed to report to the clinic within 72 hours.
The goal is to see progress toward individualized treatment goals and quality of life improvements surrounding housing, employment and harm reduction. The minimum requirement to have a charge dropped is 90 days of engagement and progress.
Although the program has seen successes, Steele noted that it's not necessarily for everyone. Of the 18 total contacts, three people have declined to participate, opting instead to be cited for criminal possession.
'You need to have a number of tools, and this is just another tool,' she said. 'This isn't the solution for everybody, but it's an alternative for some that might choose to use it. And so we have to look at everybody as an individual, we have to look at all the options. And this might work for one person, but it's not going to work for another person, but perhaps it opens a door to something else that will work for them.'
Looking ahead, law enforcement will continue to work through a learning curve. Some officers, Steele said, may have started their careers when possession of small amounts of drugs was still legal.
Hanthorn said another potential hurdle is community buy-in. As the team continues outreach with law enforcement officers and members of the community, the hope is to show the positive change that's possible through deflection — even if it's slow-going, as recovery often is.
'We just want to help encourage them, show them the statistics that we are seeing success,' Steele said. 'It's not going to happen overnight.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Democratic governors seek to roll back state-funded health care for undocumented immigrants
A trio of states with Democratic governors viewed as potential 2028 presidential candidates have taken steps in recent weeks to freeze or cut government-funded health care coverage for undocumented immigrants. Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois and Tim Walz of Minnesota have largely attributed the proposals to budget shortfalls stemming from original plans to expand health care to immigrants without legal status. But the moves also occur against the backdrop of broader debate within the Democratic Party over how to handle immigration, an issue that dragged it down in the last election and that President Donald Trump and the GOP have continued to try to capitalize on. The plans, which would scale back health care coverage for undocumented immigrants in the three Democratic-led states just years after it was expanded, have angered progressives and immigrant advocacy groups, who warn the party risks alienating its base — particularly as protests against Trump's deportation plans break out around the country. The latest development came in Minnesota on Tuesday, after both chambers of the Legislature passed a bill to end state-funded health care for undocumented adults. The bipartisan effort advanced through the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate as part of attempts to balance the state budget. It now goes to Walz, who has said he'll sign it. The bill would end undocumented adults' eligibility for MinnesotaCare — the state-funded health insurance program for low-income residents — effectively reversing one of the signature policy wins Walz secured during a landmark legislative session in 2023, when Democrats were in full control of state government. Undocumented children would remain eligible to enroll in the program under the legislation. In California, Newsom unveiled a budget plan last month that would cut back on health care benefits for undocumented immigrants — a stark reversal from his promises of universal health care for all the state's residents, regardless of their immigration status. Newsom's plan in his 2025-26 budget has called for freezing enrollment for undocumented adults to receive the full scope of the state's Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal. Newsom's office has said the changes would apply only to new applicants over age 19, that existing enrollees wouldn't be kicked off their plans and that the freeze, which would begin next year, wouldn't apply to people enrolled in limited plans. Newsom's proposed changes also included a new $100 monthly premium for adults 19 and older with 'unsatisfactory immigration status' beginning in 2027. His expansion of Medi-Cal has cost far more than his administration anticipated. Newsom has said the changes will help to balance the state's budget, which has run a multibillion-dollar shortfall that he has blamed on Trump's tariffs, as well as growing costs from higher enrollment in Medi-Cal. Meanwhile, Illinois remains on track by the end of the month to end a program — called Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults — that provides state-funded health care coverage for more than 30,000 low-income adults who are living in the state without documentation. Similarly, the program in Illinois was more expensive than expected when it was created in 2021. Pritzker's latest budget, which the Democratic-led Legislature passed last month, proposed eliminating it by July 1. While the moves would help those states recalibrate their budgets, a sweeping Trump-backed domestic policy bill moving through Congress proposes slashing Medicaid funding for states that provide health care coverage to undocumented immigrants. Trump also signed an executive order this year targeting undocumented immigrants' access to government assistance programs. In response to questions from NBC News, Newsom spokesperson Elana Ross reiterated his statement in his initial announcement of the changes last month that 'instead of rolling back the program — meaning cutting people off for basic care — we're capping it.' Pritzker's office said in an email that 'this year, passing a balanced budget required the difficult decision that reflects the reality of Trump and Republicans tanking our national economy and attempting to strip away healthcare.' A Walz spokesperson didn't respond to questions about Minnesota's plan, which was the result of a compromise after Republican lawmakers had pushed to end the entire MinnesotaCare program. 'No one got everything they wanted,' Walz said last month after he reached a tentative deal with Republicans on the budget, which was finalized in a special session this week. 'There were very difficult conversations about issues that were very dear to each of these caucuses. But at the end of the day, we were able to come to this agreement.' Immigrant advocacy groups have panned the moves, saying they risk further imperiling the broader health care system, and blasted Democrats for succumbing to Trump's attacks. 'We urge state leaders to build on their progress, rather than placing the health of their residents at risk,' said Tanya Broder, the senior counsel for health and economic justice policy at the National Immigration Law Center. 'Particularly as extremist politicians scapegoat and target immigrants, we are counting on state officials to do the right thing and hold the line. 'As states increasingly have recognized, a community's health and well-being depend on ensuring that everyone has access to health care. Immigrants pay billions of dollars in federal, state and local taxes, yet many are excluded from critical health care programs,' she added. 'Terminating state coverage for immigrants will compromise our collective health, as well as the health care infrastructure that serves all of us.' Some progressives questioned whether the moves were part of a broader strategy by the three governors to move to the right on the broader issue of immigration, which polling has shown still remains one of Trump's strongest issues. They said they could face a backlash from their base by departing from positions on supporting immigrant communities and expanding health care. 'It really feeds into the conservative narrative that undocumented immigrants are a drain on our communities,' said Jennifer Driver, a senior director at the State Innovation Exchange, a progressive legislative policy group. 'This assumption that by moving more to the middle or to the right that you're going to recruit some people back — I think it's a miscalculation. 'The frustration that you're seeing in the Democratic base is due to this kind of this waffling, this kind of idea that 'OK, yes, we are progressive — but only in some moments,'' Driver added. Other strategists suggested it remained too early to gauge whether a broader shift was in play as governors and other lawmakers positioned themselves for potential 2028 White House bids, and they emphasized that the threats blue states face from Trump are serious. 'The Trump administration is squeezing the hell out of states,' said Jeff Blodgett, a Minnesota-based Democratic strategist who was a campaign manager for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone and the state director for both of Barack Obama's presidential campaigns. 'There's just a lot of concern about current and future budgets given what the federal government is doing to states.' This article was originally published on
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Louisiana Legislature targets out-of-state doctors who provide abortion pills
Packages of Mifepristone tablets are displayed at a family planning clinic on April 13, 2023 in Rockville, Maryland. (Photo illustration by) The Louisiana Legislature has approved a bill targeting out-of-state abortion-inducing drug providers, giving more time to individuals who want to sue someone who performed, attempted to perform or substantially facilitated an abortion. The legislation is part of an effort from anti-abortion advocates to crack down on doctors who ship abortion-inducing medication to states where the procedure is illegal. In nearly all instances, abortion has been illegal in Louisiana since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. House Bill 575 by Rep. Lauren Ventrella, R-Greenwell Springs, easily passed both chambers. She dubbed her proposal the 'Justice for Victims of Abortion Drug Dealers Act,' though it would apply to all forms of the procedure. It extends the window for abortion lawsuits from three years to five years and allows out-of-state doctors and activists to be sued. The bill will become law unless vetoed by Gov. Jeff Landry, which is unlikely. Ventrella's bill has the support of Attorney General Liz Murrill, who is currently prosecuting a case against a New York doctor accused of providing abortion-inducing medication to the mother of a pregnant minor in West Baton Rouge Parish. Gov. Kathy Hoschul has refused to extradite the doctor to Louisiana to face charges, citing New York's shield laws. The doctor and the minor's mother were both indicted. Murrill has alleged the minor was coerced to take the medication, though her mother was not charged with this crime. Ventrella's legislation was substantially whittled down throughout the legislative process. In its original state, it would have allowed the 'mother of the unborn child,' her parents, the man who impregnated her and his parents as potential plaintiffs. The man would have been unable to sue if the pregnancy was the result of rape, sexual assault or incest. The measure also would have allowed the plaintiffs to sue anybody who facilitated the abortion, with this term originally being undefined. It also would have allowed drug manufacturers to be sued. The legislation received bipartisan pushback, with multiple lawmakers raising privacy concerns. Last year, Louisiana lawmakers classified mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled dangerous substances. Both are used in medication abortions but also have other uses, including to stop life-threatening postpartum hemorrhages. Medical professionals opposed the move, warning the designation could make the drugs more difficult to access in time-sensitive medical crises. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
2 days ago
New York lawmakers approve bill that would allow medically assisted suicide for the terminally ill
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Terminally ill New Yorkers would have the legal ability to end their own lives with pharmaceutical drugs under a bill passed Monday in the state Legislature. The proposal, which now moves to the governor's office, would allow a person with an incurable illness to be prescribed life-ending drugs if he or she requests the medication and gets approval from two physicians. A spokesperson for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she would review the legislation. The New York Senate gave final approval to the bill Monday night after hours of debate during which supporters said it would let terminally ill people die on their own terms. 'It's not about hastening death, but ending suffering,' said state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat who sponsored the proposal. Opponents have argued the state should instead improve end-of-life medical care or have objected on religious grounds. 'We should not be in the business of state-authorized suicide,' said state Sen. George Borrello, a Republican. The state Assembly passed the measure in late April. The proposal requires that a terminally ill person who is expected to die within six month make a written request for the drugs. Two witnesses would have sign the request to ensure that the patient is not being coerced. The request would then have to be approved by the person's attending physician as well as a consulting physician. The legislation was first introduced in 2016, Hoylman-Sigal said, though it has stalled year after year in the New York statehouse. Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference, which has opposed the measure, said 'This is a dark day for New York State." Eleven other states and Washington, D.C., have laws allowing medically assisted suicide, according to Compassion & Choices, an advocacy organization that backs the policy. Corinne Carey, the group's local campaign director, said lawmakers had 'recognized how important it is to give terminally ill New Yorkers the autonomy they deserve over their own end-of-life experiences.' 'The option of medical aid in dying provides comfort, allowing those who are dying to live their time more fully and peacefully until the end,' said Carey.
