As a nurse in our community with 20 years of experience, I urge you to vote “yes” on Measure 110.
One of the most difficult and heartbreaking situations I frequently encounter is with people with substance use disorder. There are no residential recovery programs in Tillamook County, and the sole one in Clatsop County is only accessible to women with private insurance.
Instead of offering drug treatment to people who struggle with addictions, our system has traditionally incarcerated them. Frankly, the system has failed people. To a nurse, this way of dealing with people with addictions seems as irrational as jailing someone who repeatedly has high blood sugars, or who continues to smoke even after being told their lungs have been significantly damaged.