Medical Detox Advocates Expand Naloxone Access Across Oregon

When someone survives an overdose and decides to seek help, the next hours are critical. Medical detox providers in Oregon know that the first step is keeping a person alive long enough to enter treatment. A Portland recovery organization just secured the funding to keep doing that across the entire state.

Project Red Expands After Funding Cuts

The Alano Club of Portland was founded in 1947. It’s described as the oldest and largest Recovery Community Organization in the country. The organization serves about 10,000 people a month through meetings, classes and peer programs.

The Alano Club of Portland’s naloxone distribution program, Project Red, now works with organizations in all 36 Oregon counties. According to executive director Kasey Anderson, it ranks as the largest non-governmental naloxone distribution program in the entire state.

The program’s survival was not guaranteed, because the Alano Club’s public funding was cut 15 percent in 2025 and another 15 percent in 2026.

Project Red, which runs as a small, largely one-person operation, had a 75 percent drop in funding.

Anderson told OPB he reached a point where he did not know if he could keep paying the staffer who runs it.

Community Funding Steps In

Two private funders stepped in to help. The Vitalogy Foundation, Pearl Jam’s charitable organization, asked what it would cost to keep the program open and funded a program position within weeks.

Boulder Care, a medication-assisted treatment company, matched the gift. Together, the grants guarantee Project Red’s operations through 2027.

Why Naloxone Access Matters Before Detox

Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, is an opioid overdose reversal medication. It works by displacing opioids from receptors in the brain and restoring breathing.

The medication has no effect on someone who has not taken opioids, which makes it safe to administer even in uncertain situations. Anderson used a plain comparison in his OPB interview: keeping naloxone on hand does not enable drug use any more than keeping a fire extinguisher enables arson.

The numbers behind the program are stark. Anderson cited data showing 75 percent of fatal overdoses occur when a person is using alone, and 30 percent of people with substance use disorders report avoiding resources out of fear of ostracization.

Understanding Withdrawal and Why Medical Detox Matters

Withdrawal from opioids is intensely uncomfortable but rarely life-threatening. The picture changes with alcohol and benzodiazepines. Unsupervised withdrawal from these substances can produce seizures and can be fatal.

That is why medical detox with clinical supervision is the recommended standard for anyone dependent on alcohol, benzodiazepines or opioids.

Detox centers in Oregon and elsewhere pair medication management with monitoring so withdrawal happens safely and the person is stabilized for the next level of care.

Medication-assisted treatment, which uses buprenorphine or methadone to reduce cravings and withdrawal, often begins during or right after detox. Boulder Care’s involvement in Project Red reflects how closely harm reduction and MAT work together in Oregon.

Finding Medical Detox

If you or someone you love needs to stop using opioids, alcohol, or benzodiazepines, do not attempt withdrawal alone. Alcohol and benzodiazepine detox can be life-threatening without medical supervision.

Search for detox programs near you or browse detox centers in Oregon through Detox.com’s directory. Call 800-996-6135Sponsored to find a medically supervised detox program today.