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Spokane County details $2.2 million in opioid investments and plans for a crisis relief and sobering center
Summary
County staff described how opioid dollars are being used to build a crisis relief and sobering center, expand triage and withdrawal management services (STARZ), invest in neonatal abstinence supports, and scale school‑based screening programs.
Spokane County staff provided a detailed update on how the county is spending opioid‑response funds, including $2.2 million already allocated to a mix of immediate services and longer‑term infrastructure.
Justin Johnson, speaking for Spokane County, said the board approved funding to develop a crisis relief and sobering center that the county expects to bring online in late 2026 or early 2027. "We are heavy involved in building out this facility. That will bring on board at minimum 24 beds to allow for walk in immediate service," Johnson said, describing the center as a walk‑in alternative to emergency departments and law‑enforcement drop‑offs.
The county is also pursuing purchase of an existing facility now operated by STARS (a local withdrawal management provider) to stabilize and expand triage, sobering and withdrawal management capacity. County staff said STARS currently operates a location that will receive renovation funding to add sobering and possibly residential services. The county described a planned soft launch of some beds in the near term as staff are hired and licensed.
Johnson said the county is investing in a range of complementary programs: neonatal abstinence and transitional housing supports (Maddie's Place), expansion of same‑day access to medication‑assisted treatment through partner clinics, and upstream prevention including a $2 million investment in SBIRT (screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment) for schools. "We're on track to hit 1,000 students engaged that would not have otherwise been if we had not started this program for school year 2025," Johnson said.
County staff described new operations to pair law enforcement outreach with medical clearing and mobile behavioral health response. Johnson said the county will fund a co‑response unit that pairs firefighters and behavioral‑health providers for street engagements, and that partnerships with the sheriff's office will emphasize targeted prevention based on street data.
Local advocates at the meeting expressed urgency about street conditions and the need for rapid treatment access. A community member, Shane, described frequent overdoses and encouraged continuing street outreach and naloxone distribution.
The county said some city opioid dollars remain to be allocated and that the city and county continue to discuss joint investment opportunities for the STARZ facility and other projects.
Next steps: staff said procurement and renovation work is underway for the triage and withdrawal site, hiring is in progress for the soft launch of beds, and the county will continue community engagement and coordination with the city and SRHD.
