Clackamas Fire District No. 1 will be receiving $63,500 in grant funds from Lines for Life, University of Baltimore, and Oregon Community Foundation for its Community Paramedic Program, the fire district announced Wednesday.
Clack Fire received $19,500 in grant funds from Lines for Life for use in assisting with the opioid crisis in Oregon. The University of Baltimore awarded $39,000 in grant funds to Clackamas County in collaboration with Clackamas Fire for Project Hope.
The monies will be used to help people suffering from addiction to opioids and other substances who want support with recovery options, such as Project Hope. Project Hope is a nationally recognized program that has worked with Lines for Life to reduce opioid addiction and assist those looking for recovery resources.
Opioid addiction in Oregon, and specifically Clackamas County, is at critically high levels, public safety officials say, and access to recovery comes with many challenges and obstacles. Project Hope helps participants navigate the path to successful recovery and offers additional supports as needed, helping people out of the cycle of drug addiction and into one of safe recovery.
The Oregon Community Foundation grant in the amount of $5,000 will be used for first responders and our most vulnerable and houseless populations who test positive for Covid-19 and need a safe place to isolate and quarantine. This money will be used to assist with the cost of a hotel, food, and personal protective equipment for those needing quarantine.
The intent of this grant is to fill gaps in services and to assist on the need for safe isolation for a person with Covid-19, the fire district said. The shelter provided keeps both the participant safe and also helps to limit the spread of the virus to other community members.
Limiting exposure from persons infected with Covid-19 will serve to keep the community safer, and isolating those who test positive will decrease the rapid rate of transmission to others in the community, according to fire officials.