About

Oregon is widely affected by opioid and methamphetamine use and harms, including overdose and infections related to injection drug use. To reduce the harms of drug use and support connections to supportive services, Oregon Health Authority has collaborated with partners to expand peer service programs across the state since 2017.

Below is a timeline of Oregon’s recent peer program initiatives for people who are using drugs.  The timeline illustrates:

•   the evolution and transition of promising research findings to a pilot intervention program and then the adaptation, scaling, and implementation of successful pilot interventions to a statewide program network.

•   the shift of perspective from discrete funders and program silos to collaborative initiatives in which academic, state and community partners work together to address community needs and leverage funding to act, support and sustain interventions that translate, pilot and scale research findings to prevent infections, injuries, and overdoses in communities.