On November 9, 2020, District Attorney John Hummel will launch the Deschutes County Veterans Intervention Strategy (VIS). The VIS is veteran-focused initiative, providing justice-involved veterans with the opportunity to access treatment and resources they need to successfully address mental health illnesses and substance use disorders. The aim of this initiative is to provide our local veterans, suffering from service-related health issues, the ability to improve their health and create a stable and positive civilian life.
A socially distanced outdoor event will be held at the Central Oregon Vet Center on Monday, November 9, 2020 at 10am to announce the launch of VIS. The Vet Center is located at 1645 NE Forbes Road, Bend. The media and public are encouraged to attend to learn more about the Veterans Intervention Strategy.
For over a decade there has been expressed interest by many in Deschutes County to offer a specialized program for justice-involved veterans. Due to our community’s growing population, and the Deschutes County’s Circuit Court’s continued judicial staffing shortage, our county has been unable to launch a veterans treatment court. It was time to rethink the format of a specialty veterans program in order to find a solution that would work for our community.
“Deschutes County has been remiss in not providing justice-involved veterans a targeted program. The traditional criminal justice system does not effectively address mental-health illnesses or substance-use disorders, so we continue to see the same individuals in court. We needed to resolve this issue, and the Veterans Intervention Strategy is part of the solution,” said DA Hummel. “Participating veterans will access the services and treatments required to help them improve their lives and leave the criminal justice system behind for good. And for those that are not ready for change, the program is structured to ensure we can still hold them accountable for their actions.”
The VIS is an inter-agency team involving the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, the Central Oregon Vet Center, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Deschutes County Community Justice, Deschutes Defenders and Kollie Law. This veteran-focused team will connect veterans to care providers and veteran service organizations across the county and will actively monitor each participant’s progress throughout their program term. Participating veterans will also be connected with veteran mentors, who understand what they are going through and can support them as they address these personal health challenges.
The VIS is not a veteran’s treatment court; it is a collaborative program that incorporates key elements of the successful veterans treatment court model, and is structured to effectively and sustainably balance Deschutes County’s available resources and the needs of our veterans.
Amanda Juza, Vet Center director, said, “The Central Oregon Vet Center is excited to participate in the VIS Program. We are looking forward to working with our community partners to ensure the Veterans in Central Oregon are given a path to treatment and an opportunity to engage with the Veteran community of Central Oregon. The Veterans of this community have been asking for services for justice-involved veterans and we are so grateful to the District Attorney’s office, along with Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Bend Police Department, for not giving up and being willing to invest in the Veterans of Central Oregon.”
