EVENT

The consequences of addiction affects many of the issues that Oregon funders invest in: homelessness, food insecurity, poverty and child abuse. In state statistics that cover addiction, Oregon ranks in the top 10. These statistics are particularly elevated in rural Oregon. Addiction related arrests, hospitalizations and overdoses have also impacted the lives of Oregon’s children and the number of children entering the foster care system is directly related to the affects of addiction on their parents.

 

With addiction on the rise, where does Oregon land when it comes to treating this crisis, and where can philanthropy play a role in shifting the impact of addiction on Oregon communities?

 

Please join Grantmakers of Oregon and SW Washington for a Third Thursday conversation about addiction and recovery with a unique cross-sector collaborative who have joined together in partnership to address this critical issue.

 

GOSW has assembled a panel of regional addiction experts who will take us beyond the headline-grabbing concerns regarding the opioid epidemic, and lead us in a discussion about Oregon’s addiction crisis and the need for a collaborative, recovery based, continuum of care. 

 

 

Dr Rachel Solotaroff is the new President & CEO of Central City Concern (CCC), a major provider of housing, health care and employment support to people experiencing homelessness in Portland, Oregon. Rachel has been working with CCC since 2006, first as CCC’s and Old Town Clinic’s Medical Director and as Chief Medical Officer since 2014. She has been a member of CCC’s Executive Leadership Team since November 2014. During her time at CCC, Rachel has overseen inpatient and outpatient alcohol and drug treatment, primary care and mental health care. She has developed key strategic initiatives and stakeholder partnerships to respond to community needs and has championed data-driven models of care for specific populations, from expansion of treatment for homeless people with opioid use disorder to an advanced medical home for medically complex homeless individuals. In her leadership of Old Town Clinic, she secured national recognition from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s LEAP project as one of the 30 highest-performing clinics in the United States, as well as achieving recognition as an NCQA Tier 3 Patient-Centered Medical Home. In 2014, Rachel received the Karen Rotondo Outstanding Service Award from the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council. In addition to her work at CCC, Rachel was Assistant Professor at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) from 2007 to 2014. She has also worked as a staff physician from 2004 to 2006 at the Portland VA Medical Center. Rachel earned her BA from Brown University and her medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School.

 

Dr. Reginald Richardson, Executive Director of the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission

Mike Marshall is a non-profit executive with 30 years of political campaign and civic engagement experience at both the national and international level. As a person in long-term recovery from addiction, Mike co-founded and launched Oregon Recovers in 2017 with the goal of transforming Oregon’s fractured and incomplete addiction recovery system into a recovery-based, continuum of care which recognizes addiction as a chronic disease requiring a lifetime of attention. Mike currently serves as Oregon Recovers executive director, prior to which he was the executive director of the City Club of Portland. Upon moving to Oregon in 2013, Mike served back-to-back stints as campaign manager for Oregon United for Marriage and the successful re-election campaign of Governor John Kitzhaber.

Brent has worked as Executive Director of the Alano Club of Portland for the past decade, growing the organization into the largest non-clinical recovery support center in the United States. The Club serves as a national model for a modern, multi-dimensional recovery community organization, applying the latest evidence-based supports within a community center service delivery structure. More than 10,000 visitors utilize the Club every month for recovery support groups spanning the continuum of mutual aid pathways, peer support services with Certified Recovery Mentors, yoga and meditation classes, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction & Relapse Prevention training, health and wellness seminars, exercise-based recovery groups, recovery skills workshops, advocacy projects and large-scale sober social events.Brent has been a visible champion for recovery as a board member of the Oregon Consumer Advisory Council, Multnomah County Recovery Support Services Procurement Review Panel, Oregon Substance Use Disorder Advisory Committee, Hands Across the Bridge Project, Partnership for Safety and Justice and the Safety and Justice Action PAC. Most recently Brent co-founded the Oregon Recovery High School Initiative, a coalition of recovery advocates, educators, health system professionals and business leaders committed to launching a “gold standard” recovery high school for students impacted by substance use disorders. Brent has been recognized for his advocacy work by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s Institute For Recovery Advocacy and Viacom’s Here to Listen Campaign. Brent has a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs from University of Oregon, where he was recognized for his academic achievement with a competitive Teaching Fellowship in the Graduate School of Planning, Public Policy and Management.