Office of Rep. Oregon State Legislature House District 43 900 Court St NE, Salem, OR 97301

April 8th, 2020 Dear Director Allen,

We are writing to request the Oregon Health Authority take immediate actions to provide support to Oregonians in recovery from drugs and alcohol. According to the Recovery Research Institute, 9.5% of Americans are in recovery; Oregon Health Authority research indicates the number is significantly higher in Oregon.

As a result of the social distancing efforts across Oregon, vital mutual aid groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery have been forced to cancel meetings indefinitely. Additionally, drop-in centers like the 4th Dimension Recovery Centers in Multnomah and Washington Counties and Provoking Hope in Yamhill County are shuttered. Consequently, the estimated 400,000-600,000 Oregonians in recovery from addiction are faced with increasing isolation, fear and a lack of access to virtually all of the recovery supports that they use to maintain and strengthen their recovery.

Some peer services and mutual aid meetings have begun to offer virtual alternatives, however people who have recently been discharged from treatment, older adults and isolated rural populations may struggle to access these services. Without immediate intervention, many of the most vulnerable people in the recovery community will relapse.

An increase in relapses will result in new COVID-19 infections, increased utilization of emergency departments and increased stress on our police departments. We believe this poses a serious threat to the public health of our communities and the ability of emergency departments and hospitals to effectively respond to the pandemic. In addition to OHA’s plans to protect the funding streams of Oregon’s treatment providers, we are requesting that the Oregon Health Authority take the following steps to mitigate the threat to people in recovery:

1. Issue a set of guidelines to primary care providers on supporting patients in recovery. It is imperative that populations at the highest risk for relapse are engaged by their medical providers and supported in the development of a safe recovery regiment during the stay at home order.

2. Provide funding to addiction treatment providers and recovery support service providers to hire new or reassign existing Certified Recovery Mentors (CRM) to Office of Rep. Tawna Sanchez Oregon State Legislature House District 43 900 Court St NE, Salem, OR 97301

conduct targeted outreach to current and former clients. Treatment providers and recovery community centers have the most comprehensive lists--albeit limited--of people in recovery. Recognizing privacy issues related to 42 Part C.F.R., direct funding to both entities is necessary in order to counter the reduced level of recovery support created by the current crisis. Additionally, this policy will keep staff employed at a time when many in the addiction recovery workforce are facing layoffs.

3. Increase access to CRM's by establishing and promoting a statewide hotline that connects people with culturally specific peers in their communities. Leveraging an existing statewide addiction recovery platform like OregonRecoveryNetwork.org to provide a hotline that is open 24/7 will help reduce the stress on crisis lines and emergency services. The existing addiction hotline managed by Lines for Life is effective in conveying information about services available but is not staffed by certified peers with lived experience and/or cultural relevance.

The health and wellbeing of our constituents is our highest priority during this crisis and we urge you to help us address this problem before it results in a dramatic increase in relapses resulting in emergency room visits and COVID-19 infections.

Sincerely,

Representative Tawna Sanchez Representative Chair, House Judiciary Chair, House Healthcare Committee

Representative Representative Vice-Chair, House Healthcare Committee House Healthcare Committee

Office of Rep. Tawna Sanchez Oregon State Legislature House District 43 900 Court St NE, Salem, OR 97301

Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer Representative House Healthcare Committee House Healthcare Committee

House Republican Leader Representative House Healthcare Committee House Healthcare Committee

Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson Senator Shemia Fagan Chair, Senate Healthcare Committee Senate Healthcare Committee Alcohol & Drug Policy Commissioner

Representative Senator Jeff Golden Alcohol and Drug Policy Commissioner Senate Human Services Committee

Senator Arnie Roblan Chair, Senate Mental Health Committee