Washington County's drug deflection program has enrolled 166 people in its first two years and launched a new track that lets residents seek treatment without a prior arrest or citation.

The county-run program directly serves unincorporated communities including Bethany, Cedar Mill and Oak Hills, where county agencies are the primary local government. It started Sept. 1, 2024, after Oregon recriminalized possession of hard drugs, giving people cited or arrested for misdemeanor drug possession a path to treatment instead of prosecution.

As of mid-August, 55 participants had completed the six-month program and 36 were still enrolled, according to a county press release marking the anniversary. Every person who completed the program underwent a substance use evaluation and stayed engaged in treatment, the county said.

The bigger number is in referrals.

Two contracted peer-support organizations, 4D Recovery and The Peer Company, have made more than 960 referrals to over 30 partner agencies for housing, mental health treatment and other services. Seventy-six percent of those referrals led to people receiving services.

About one-third of participants had never sought substance use treatment before. Another third had previously experienced an overdose.

In July, the county launched what it calls a "non-citation track." The new pathway lets people at risk of criminal justice involvement connect with a dedicated outreach peer and a Sheriff's Office outreach deputy before they receive a formal citation. That could include someone present at the scene of another person's citation, for example.

Danielle Farr, deflection senior program coordinator with Washington County Behavioral Health, told KGW the program "doesn't need to wait for a citation in order to be beneficial. … I think recovery is incentive enough."

The non-citation track came after the county had already broadened eligibility for the citation-based track twice during the program's first year.

The program also connected participants with housing and insurance. About two-thirds of unhoused participants found housing while enrolled, and roughly 90% of uninsured participants gained insurance coverage, according to county data.

Washington County runs a longer program than neighboring Multnomah County, which requires 90 days of engagement. Multnomah County had referred 741 people to its deflection program by the end of June and counted 173 completions, KGW reported.

If someone in Washington County does not finish the six-month program, their case goes back to the court system. The program is a collaboration among Health and Human Services, the District Attorney's Office, the Sheriff's Office, Community Corrections, Behavioral Health Resource Network providers and peer-delivered services organizations.

Residents can learn more at wcor.us/deflection.