Gilliam County approves drug deflection program with CCS

Gilliam County is moving ahead with a deflection program in partnership with Community Counseling Solutions – but Sherman and Wheeler County have opted out of this new program.

After Measure 110 was rescinded and hard drugs were recriminalized under HB 4002 – funds that were dedicated to drug treatment were kept in place. The structure outlined in HB 4002 gave counties the option to participate in deflection programs, which would provide treatment options in lieu of jail time. The program is similar to diversion programs for drunk driving infractions.

Community Counseling Solutions Executive Director Kimberly Lindsay said that the organization was working to provide a part-time peer position to serve Gilliam County. The staff person would be someone with firsthand experience in overcoming substance abuse dependency or addiction, and that education or degrees would not be a big factor in recruitment.

Lindsay said that in Gilliam County, there are fewer than 10 cases a year that would qualify for the deflection program. The staff person would be supervised by the Peer Deflection Supervisor, who will oversee deflection programs in Morrow, Grant, Umatilla, and Gilliam counties.

"Two-million dollars is available to agencies that want to provide services to Gilliam County over four years," Lindsay told the court.

Wheeler County District Attorney Gretchen Ladd said that the county had decided not to do deflection or to partner with CCS on these services. Ladd said that there were so few instances, if any, of drug arrests, that it didn't seem essential. However, when asked about report of growing methamphetamine use in Wheeler County, Ladd agreed that there were signs of drug use.

Sherman County also opted to not participate in the deflection program. For anyone that is arrested with hard drugs in Wheeler or Sherman county, there will be no additional treatment options in lieu of jail time.