New addiction treatment center in Gresham expands county’s diversion program • Oregon Capital Chronicle

GRESHAM – A new treatment center is opening in Gresham to treat youth for drug addiction and mental health issues and try to keep them out of the criminal justice system.

4D Recovery, a nonprofit serving the Portland area, operates the center, its first outpatient treatment clinic. 4D Recovery has more than 100 employees in the Portland area and operates three recovery homes and community centers. The organization also has outreach specialists who work with various programs, including Multnomah County’s Diversion Program, which aims to guide drug addicts into treatment and out of jail.

4D Recovery’s expansion is in response to the fentanyl crisis, which has spread beyond the streets of Portland to suburban communities and has killed hundreds of people a year statewide, with nearly 1,400 fatal overdoses l last year The center will give police in this east Multnomah County community a nearby place to drop off youths arrested for drug possession instead of taking them to downtown Portland County. Both open on Monday.

The center will serve everyone as long as they are between 18 and 35 years old. The center will serve low-income people, including those on Medicaid, its clinical director said.

“We want to provide low-barrier services so that the people who are out there who really need services, we want to make sure they walk in the door and can get services right away,” said Nick Crapser, 4D Recovery’s clinical director.

Including Crapser, the clinic will have six workers specialized in support services and treatment of alcoholism and drugs. They will offer advice, group sessions and mentors.

On the main floor, the center has three group rooms for therapy, where patients can sit and talk in a circle. They’ll also have a chance to socialize and relax, with air hockey and a kitchen for patrons to serve snacks. The clinic has more group rooms in the basement to expand, and a pool table and foosball to play.

The clinic will not prescribe addiction medications, but will refer patients who need them to another provider, Fora Health, formerly known as De Paul Treatment Centers. Fora Health has a relatively new facility in Southeast Portland and is licensed to prescribe opioid treatment medications such as buprenorphine.

A community effort is required

Tony Vezina, executive director of 4D Recovery, said the organization will be part of Multnomah County’s field diversion program and work with police when they are sent to various settings, including homeless, drug and other problems Being in the countryside makes it easier for people to access treatment specialists, and having a clinic in the area will make it easier to treat clients.

Vezina hopes the clinic will be able to quickly assess people, a necessary first step, and help them get treatment faster.

The center will also be a boon for police, according to Gresham Police Chief Travis Gullberg. Without it, police who want to help people with drug problems get into treatment would only have the option of transporting them to Multnomah County. Coordinated Care Pathway Center, their diversion center in the interior of Southeast Portland, which is further away and takes them out of the community. The closer location will save officers transportation time and allow people to be treated closer to homes, he said.

“It saves time,” he said. “Effort is saved. It makes it more efficient and connects them faster.”