The Deschutes County commissioners have voted to declare a 90-day state of emergency to address Central Oregon’s growing fentanyl crisis. The Board issued an emergency order on Wednesday, recognizing the growing threat to public health. Commissioner Phil Chang abstained from the vote, stating he thought it was not fully developed yet.
“We have fentanyl everywhere and our young people are dying,” said Patti Adair, Deschutes County Commission Chair. “We need to solve this problem.”
Overdose deaths increased by 100 percent between 2018 (six deaths) and 2022 (12 deaths) in Deschutes County. In early January, Deschutes County Health Services identified four overdose fatalities within a six-day period that appeared to be linked to the use of fentanyl and in combination with other substances.
Despite these local increases, overdose fatalities in Deschutes County remain lower than statewide averages.
Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and about 100 times stronger than morphine as a pain reliever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Now is the time for action. We’re experiencing a crisis and need the community to understand how dangerous this is,” said Deschutes County Commissioner Tony DeBone. “We need the community to come together and look out for one another. This is getting worse every day.”
“We are absolutely having a crisis,” said County Commissioner Phil Chang. “However, I am abstaining from today’s vote because I don’t think our next steps have been fully developed. I want to better understand what actions the County is prepared to take.”
In 2023, the County created an Opioid Overdose Response Team, which together with community partners, is deploying enhanced prevention resources, education and awareness and other direct services to the tri-County region.
Deschutes County Health Services distributes and provides training for Naloxone, a medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids, including fentanyl, when given in time.
In 2022, more than 100 lives in Deschutes County were saved by residents who administered Naloxone to someone experiencing overdose. More than 95 percent of those resident bystanders (including friends, family members and strangers) provided either rescue breathing or CPR as part of their response to an overdose.
Deschutes County Health Services encourages everyone to be aware of the signs of overdose. For more information, please visit deschutes.org/stopoverdose.
