Deschutes County has had its first participant in its new “deflection program” designed to get people into treatment under changes to Measure 110.

Redmond police officers found a man nodding off in a car on Sept. 5. He had been using fentanyl. The intervention by the officers may have stopped a DUII.

“He stopped,” said Neil Marchington, the Deschutes County deflection program’s coordinator. “He cooperated with them. They found he was open to treatment.”

They took him to the Taylor Center in Bend, a home of the deflection program. They had the man on medication assisted treatment two hours later. That’s a key, quick intervention to help break the cycle of addiction.

The idea of the deflection is not to arrest people with drug possession – if they agree to treatment and if they follow through with treatment. If they don’t follow through, charges can be filed.

The man entered detox a few days later. After completing it, he is living in the Oxford Sobering House. Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels has agreed not to file charges against him, as long as he continues with treatment.

The county had nine clients in the deflection program, as of Tuesday afternoon. Seven appear to be doing O.K. in treatment. It looks like one is on the borderline of failing to continue, Marchington told the county’s public safety coordinating council. Another doesn’t seem to want to stop using methamphetamine.

The county does not accept just anyone into its deflection program. If a person is combative, no. If the individual is a sex offender or has pending sex charges, no. If an individual has a recent conviction or a pending case for a person crime or domestic violence, no.

And there are other disqualifiers, too. The program is generally for people who could face new charges for minor possession. There are also other places along the path through the courts where people can get drug treatment. This, though, is a new program begun in the county last month as part of the reforms to Measure 110 led by state Rep. Jason Kropf, D-Bend, and others.

Marion County has had a similar program since 2018, which has helped hundreds. One of the people that got that program started, Josh Lair, is now working on the Deschutes deflection program.

This program has to prove it works. It also needs backing with money from the Legislature or it may evaporate next year.