Portland's leaders called time on their 90-day emergency effort to combat the city's fentanyl crisis this week, touting successes and vowing to not back down from the drug scourge that continues to challenge the community. Governor Tina Kotek, together with Mayor Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, announced the conclusion of the fentanyl emergency and pledged to sustain enhanced interagency cooperation, building on the measures put in place over the last three months. In the move to ensure continuity, Kotek has instructed the Oregon State Police to keep their forces in Portland for an additional six months to maintain collaborative operations with the Portland Police Bureau, KGW reported.
While officials touted progress, including nearly 80 referrals to treatment or detox, 300 to shelters, and 30 into housing programs the specter of drug overdoses looms heavy over the city—Multnomah County recorded at least 201 suspected overdose deaths in the past three months, marking six fewer deaths than in the prior quarter, according to a press conference reported by Vega Pederson. The county was proactive during the emergency order, instituting overdose mapping dashboards, expanding peer outreach, increasing access to Narcan, and launching campaigns to deter youth drug use, OPB detailed. Vega Pederson acknowledges there’s more terrain to cover, with a focus on spreading similar initiatives to east Multnomah County and bettering pay for health and human service workers, along with expanding mobile clinics for treatment.
As the emergency period lapses, Kotek has underscored the state's continued involvement in Portland's fight against the epidemic. "There’s more work to be done," Kotek said, underscoring her commitment to the cause, "We all know that. And I want you to know that the state will continue to be a key partner in the work here in Portland," as OPB reported. The continuation of police collaboration and outreach efforts are a part of a larger strategy to anchor the systems and services established for tackling the public health crisis that is endemic to the region.
Although the state of emergency has officially expired, the battle against fentanyl's grip on Portland requires an enduring engagement—one where success cannot solely be sequestered in the past three months; however it is measured by each small victory, such as the reduction in fatal overdoses and the expansion of life-saving measures, as noted by Vega Pederson. The continuity of state police presence and strategies ensured by Governor Kotek offers a semblance of stability in an otherwise turbulent saga of a city in a fight for the health and safety of its residents.
