SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane Regional Health District is looking into outsourcing its opioid treatment program but some are concerned over what this will mean for health care services in the area.
The Board of Health is torn after Thursday’s meeting about whether or not to outsource the treatment. Critics say outsourcing the program could cause fewer people to get access but supporters say it’s important to comprehensively study the feasibility of the services they provide to ensure SRHD is the right option.
Better funding is said to be a possible benefit of outsourcing, but the uncertainty of this is what creates fear for those like Susie Saunders, a union representative for Protect 17.
“What’s going to happen to their patients?” Saunders asked. “Are we going to see people relapsing? Are we going to see people go back to doing drugs on the street? Are we going to have deaths in our community? That’s what folks are worried about.”
Following the previous study, four organizations have expressed interest in providing services in Spokane. Three of those are private organizations.