For the last six months, PROTEC17 members working in Treatment Services at Spokane Regional Health District have been fighting an attempt to privatize their highly successful opioid treatment program.
As the largest opioid treatment program in Washington state, Treatment Services helps nearly 1,000 patients a year access the services and care that they need to battle their substance use disorder. The self-sustaining, publicly-supported program, which provides an accountable, transparent support system for some of the most vulnerable in the Spokane-area community, also connects patients to wraparound services like WIC, the Nurse-Family Partnership, mental health treatment, and more. And with low-or-no payment options, SRHD patients can sustain their treatment in a way that they can’t with private programs who have higher treatment costs and shorter timelines to get to recovery.
While Treatment Services members – who enjoy strong wages, benefits, and union protections – stand to lose their livelihoods should this effort to privatize move forward, their biggest concern is their patients.
“I chose to work at SRHD because we serve a population that no other sector can reach,” said an anonymous Treatment Services member in our spring survey about what was at stake if SRHD were to privatize the program. “We meet people where they are at in their recovery and allow them to make decisions based on their needs.”
Since PROTEC17 members first learned of the feasibility study to privatize treatment, they have jumped into action. Members attended Town Hall meetings in June to share their concerns; they visited farmer’s markets and other events to collect signatures on our petition; they held a community event with free shaved ice to raise awareness about the potential cuts; and they wrote letters to the Board of Health ahead of their September meeting where they were set to decide whether to take the next step towards privatization.
In her public statement to the Board, PROTEC17 Executive Director Karen Estevenin said:
“PROTEC17 strongly supports Treatment Services to maintain the incredible work combating the opioid crisis in our community through Spokane Regional Health District, and opposes any privatization or separation of these vital services. We have heard from an overwhelming number of staff who choose to work at SRHD because of the human-centered approach and wraparound support services that have shown to be effective and successful. The system is working and it is saving lives. We urge the Board of Health to end to the feasibility study now and instead invest time, resources, and energy into making an already effective program even better.”
Thanks to the advocacy of PROTEC17 members, the SRHD Board voted to delay their decision to their October 31 meeting. While the fight is not over, by standing together, gathering the support of the community, and using their collective voices, the team is making a huge impact.