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Spokane County expands sobering-to-treatment program with STARS using opioid settlement funds
Summary
Spokane County is co-investing opioid settlement money with the City of Spokane to expand STARS’ STAT (Sobering, Triage and Transition) program, aiming to connect people who are acutely intoxicated to treatment and reduce pressure on emergency departments. County and provider officials said the program has served more than 1,000 people since late
Spokane County and Spokane Treatment and Recovery Services (STARS) are expanding a sobering-to-treatment pathway known as STAT (Sobering, Triage and Transition), funded in part by Washington state opioid settlement dollars and a joint investment from the county and the City of Spokane.
County Commissioner Chris Jordan said the county’s commitment “at this stage is over $1,400,000 including capital and operating,” and that the city is contributing $400,000 to increase capacity for the program. According to the Spokane County Medical Examiner, 352 people in Spokane County died of drug overdoses in 2024, and 76 percent of those deaths were fentanyl-related — figures county officials said helped shape the decision to scale services.
The STAT program provides a place for people who are acutely intoxicated to receive immediate care, a clinical assessment and a direct transition to withdrawal management or other levels of treatment, officials said. “STAT is an innovative program that, as…
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