The OUR Tillamook (Opioid Use Response for Tillamook County) Consortium invites the public to a Community Deflection Forum to be held in the Copeland Room at the Tillamook Public Library on Thursday, October 23, 2025 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM.
Attendees will leave with a better understanding of what deflection is, hear an overview of the six internationally recognized deflection referral pathways, learn about local deflection efforts, and have opportunity to participate in a quick Question and Answer session.
What is deflection? How we refer people with unmet substance use disorders and behavioral health needs as early as possible into community-based support, services, and treatment, and away from arrest and prosecution.
The first deflection pathway—active outreach—was formally started in the city of Tillamook in late September. A number of local community partners have already been doing outreach to those impacted by substance use disorder in various ways throughout Tillamook County, and this recent pathway implementation strengthens that work through a more unified approach.
Special guests at this Forum will be Kelly Cleveland and Guy Farina, with the Center for Health and Justice (CHJ). Kelly Cleveland is a program manager for the National Deflection
Technical Assistance Center, with a background in corrections, behavioral health, and community-based research. She has led efforts to launch her county’s first deflection initiatives, Kelly also serves on her county’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) governing board and law enforcement peer wellness team. Guy Farina, a national leader in deflection, is a former Detective Sergeant, Drug Recognition Expert (DRE), and EMT. He launched New York State’s first deflection initiative in 2016 and now serves as Senior Program Manager at TASC’s Center for Health and Justice, bridging public safety and public health.
There will be time for community questions. Those with questions are kindly asked to submit those via the QR code on the event flyers.
There will also be a Community Stakeholders Meeting – Deflection 101 & Assessing the Landscape on October 22nd from 2:30 to 4:30 pm for anyone who provides support and services to individuals with unmet behavioral health and/or substance use disorders.
About OUR Tillamook: OUR Tillamook (Opioid Use Response for Tillamook County) is a collaboration of community partners taking action to prevent, address, and reduce the impacts of substance use disorders for all people of Tillamook County.
In 2024, thanks to funding through Tillamook County’s Opioid Settlement Funds, worked with Synergy Health Consulting to develop the OUR Tillamook 2025-2027 strategic plan. This plan builds upon foundational work accomplished during the 2020-2023 RCORP Strategic Plan implementation period that established and increased access to harm reduction services, medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and connection to care between healthcare providers and wraparound community-based services.