Oregon's success in treating addicts is a lesson for Kentucky

Courier Journal
The guiding principle behind addiction treatment in Oregon is simple: Pay for it now, make it easy to get and you’ll save money and lives down the road. Research from across the nation shows that treatment reduces crime and medical expenses while boosting employment, meaning every dollar spent on treatment actually saves an average of $7. “There’s absolutely solid, irrefutable evidence that there is a savings — always — in funding addiction treatment and prevention,” said Karen Wheeler, addiction programs administrator for the Oregon Health Authority. “You pay one way or the other.” That philosophy fuels Oregon’s nationally reputed system of addiction care that officials, health experts and treatment professionals say provides lessons for Kentucky as it struggles with a crippling prescription drug-abuse problem and an overwhelmed treatment system.
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