PODClatsop Explores How Deflection Is Changing Lives In Clatsop County (Photo) - 08/12/26
New podcast episode highlights partnership between law enforcement and behavioral health and the power of planting the seed for recovery
ASTORIA, OR — A new episode of PODClatsop takes listeners inside the Clatsop County Deflection Program, where law enforcement and behavioral health professionals are working together to give people struggling with substance use another path forward.
Clatsop County Deflection Program Coordinator Christina Schulz and Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare’s Isaiah O’Neill join Clatsop County Public Affairs Officer Jenn Benoit to explain what happens when someone is offered Deflection, how participants are connected with treatment and why a person who initially turns away from help may return when they are ready.
During the episode, listeners hear an emotional message from a former participant thanking O’Neill for helping him through his recovery. The participant initially entered the Deflection Program but did not complete it. After another law enforcement contact, he was offered Deflection again.
This time, he was ready.
O’Neill said the earlier relationship mattered. The participant already knew where to go for help and had established trust with the program. He went on to achieve long-term sobriety, reunite with his family and begin considering becoming a recovery coach.
Schulz explains that the Clatsop County Deflection Program offers two pathways to services. One provides an alternative for qualifying people contacted by law enforcement while in possession of a controlled substance. The second allows law enforcement, Parole and Probation and Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare to refer people known to be struggling with substance use even when they are not facing a possession charge.
Once connected with Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, participants receive an individualized assessment and may be connected with outpatient treatment, withdrawal management, residential treatment, recovery supports and other services based on their needs.
The goal is progress and sustained engagement, not expecting recovery to happen overnight.
“People don’t get sober all at once,” O’Neill said during the episode. “It’s a process.”
As of the recording of the episode, 138 people had been offered Deflection in Clatsop County. Of those, 83 entered the program, 36 had graduated and 18 were actively participating.
One of the strengths of Clatsop County’s program is the broad support it receives from law enforcement, behavioral health providers, the District Attorney’s Office and other community partners.
The episode highlights how those partnerships can translate into tangible changes in people’s lives from reducing substance use to finding employment, reconnecting with family and moving from homelessness into stable housing.
“Whether it’s small strides or big strides, we’re giving them the tools,” Schulz said.
Listen to the latest episode of PODClatsop to hear the full conversation and learn more about how the Clatsop County Deflection Program works.
PODClatsop explores the people, places and programs that make Clatsop County unique.
About the Clatsop County Deflection Program
The Clatsop County Deflection Program connects people struggling with substance use with treatment and support through a coordinated partnership involving law enforcement, Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, the District Attorney’s Office, Parole and Probation and other community partners. The program emphasizes accountability, engagement and creating opportunities for recovery.