Coastal Samaritan Treatment and Recovery Services Facility

 The Pacific Communities Health District, a taxing authority with a five-member elected board of directors, is the property owner. The District also owns Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital and its surrounding property/buildings. pchdistrict.org

 The not-for-profit Samaritan Pacific Health Services as a part of its operating agreement with the Pacific Communities Health District. Samaritan has been providing staffing and equipment for Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital and its clinics since 2002 and is committed to staffing and operating the Coastal STARS facility.  The expertise for operations and staffing will be realized by a shared operations manager and shared medical director between the STARS facility in Lebanon and the one on the coast and we will be working closely with local partner organizations already providing outpatient services to minimize duplicative services. samhealth.org

The Pacific Communities Health District Foundation and the North Lincoln Hospital Foundation have launched a $10 million campaign to raise the funds needed to build an addition to house a commercial kitchen, meeting spaces and offices; remodel the existing space; provide infrastructure improvements and landscaping; and furnish and equip the center. The foundations raise funds to improve health care services provided by our two coastal Samaritan hospitals and area clinics. samhealth.org/supportstarscoast

Adults 18+ with substance use disorder who are choosing recovery and want/need a safe, supportive space to begin their healing journey. While Lincoln County residents will be our priority, it will be open to people from around the state. The facility will have 16 beds and serve approximately 200 residential patients annually. Approximately 25 to 30 outpatients will receive care at the center each weekday – Monday – Friday. Individual and group outpatient appointments will be spread throughout the day between 8 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.

It will be a recovery center. Power House Detox in Otis provides detox services for Lincoln County. Patients who are admitted to the hospital for a condition other than substance use disorder sometimes undergo detox during their stay in the hospital. Patients admitted to the STARS program will have already undergone detox if needed.

Coastal STARS is open to all gender identities.

The Coastal STARS facility can accommodate 16 residential patients at full capacity. There are a variety of staff members who come into contact with residents throughout their stay, including clinicians, nurses, administrative staff, peer support, and counselors. However, certain positions have prolonged supervisory contact with patients. While creating the correct staffing model for the Coastal STARS facility is still in progress, the Lebanon STARS facility’s ratio is approximately one staff person with prolonged supervisory contact to three residents and we anticipate a similar ratio on the coast.

We will have security cameras in all of the common areas, at each reception desk, and at each entry door. There will also be a camera outside in the residential gathering place. The facility will also have alarms. Please see “What is the visitor policy?” for additional information.

There is a Samaritan Treatment and Recovery Services facility in Lebanon and the visitor policy at the Coastal STARS program in Newport is expected to mirror Lebanon’s policy. When people enter the Lebanon STARS residential program, they are asked to submit a list of expected visitors to their counselors. The patient and the counselor review the list to identify resiliency and risk factors and modifications are allowed throughout the patient’s stay. Samaritan staff completes a background check of all visitors prior to approval. This is for the safety of the program staff and participants as well as the surrounding community. Visiting hours are limited to four hours mid-day on Saturdays and Sundays. STARS is a family-friendly environment and visitors are expected to use language and behaviors appropriate for children who may be visiting. Approved visitors must sign in at reception area, abide by all guidelines, be clean and sober on the day of their visit, remain in public areas, and put any belongings or gifts in a clear bag that will be inspected. Any person with sexual offense crimes on their records and registered sex offenders will not be allowed on the premises. No visitor with an existing No Contact Order, Temporary Restraining Order, or stalking order against them in relation to a current resident or staff will be allowed on the premises. STARS reserves the right to refuse entry to any visitor for any reason.

According to the Newport Police Department, police presence would be increased if there are issues that warrant it. The opening of the facility itself would not warrant an increase in patrols.

We observe/supervise patients when they are outside. We will also take patients on supervised walks, weather permitting, around the neighborhood. We have a minimum of two staff present to supervise during these excursions. The goal is to supervise patients at all times both inside and outside of the building.

Typically, patients do not interact with neighbors. When patients are on supervised walks, they are encouraged not to engage with the community unless a neighbor or community member addresses them first. If this happens, we ask staff to respond to questions rather than patients.

Welcome the center as you would any neighbor. Recognize that the people coming to the center are there to heal. Respect patient privacy as you want them to respect yours. If you are interested, learn what you can about substance use disorder (recommended website: samhsa.gov).  Communicate with the staff if you are experiencing issues or have questions. To contribute to building fund, go to www.samhealth.org/supportstarscoast

The City of Newport will require improvements, such as sewer main, storm water, and street paving, improvements and additions between NW 58^th and NW 60^th Streets. More detail will be available as the project progresses.

STARS staff will establish partnerships with community and social service agencies to help patients be successful when they are discharged.

We expect to open in spring, 2025, but it depends on the availability of construction resources.

The Planning Commission will consider an application for a Conditional Use Permit and an Adjustment Permit on Monday, June 12 at 7 p.m. at the Newport City Hall.  A public hearing will be a part of the process. The permits are being sought to allow for the outpatient counseling and administrative offices, which are considered Professional Use and require Conditional Use permitting. The residential care portion is allowed outright in the R-4 High Density Multi-Family Residential Zone. In addition, the public are welcome to attend any Pacific Communities Health District Board of Directors meeting held on the third Tuesday of every month beginning at 4 p.m. The location of the meetings varies but they are always on the Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital campus in Newport. Meeting notices are posted on pchdistrict.org and in the News-Times.

No. There has been a Samaritan Treatment and Recovery Services center in Lebanon, Oregon, since 2019 and it has not posed a risk to public safety. We reached out to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the Newport Police Department and neither entity considered a substance use disorder treatment center to be a threat to public safety.

The majority of inpatients will be driven by a loved one or a referral agency, such as Reconnections Counseling. We are investigating the possibility of locating a bus stop near the facility to assist both inpatients and outpatients who cannot arrive by private transportation.

Because this will be a residential facility, up to 16 inpatients will live there 24/7. Intakes are scheduled during regular business hours. Traffic coming and going from the facility will be on residential streets primarily during the day with some early evening activity. The latest outpatient group ends at 8:30 p.m. At some point, early morning classes may be added to accommodate work schedules for patients.  A typical schedule of outpatient classes would be two classes per day, at different times, and spread over four days with approximately 10 – 15 people attending each class. Therefore, traffic would not be concentrated at a single time of day. No, there will not be a new, direct corridor to Highway 101 to access the facility.

The quiet nature of the community provides a healing environment. Residents of the facility spend their time in treatment, whether that is group or individual counseling. They are supervised at all times, both inside and outside of the facility. If an outing is necessary, they will be transported by a staff member or other supervisory professional. The facility is a 10-minute drive to the hospital if health care services are needed.

Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital is limited to 25 beds because we are a federally designated Critical Access Hospital. Those beds must be reserved for people with acute and critical medical conditions. Patients in treatment for substance use disorder do not require that level of medical care. In addition, a home-like atmosphere is more conducive to residential recovery.

We undertook a county-wide search for an adequate location, including looking at our existing hospital campuses. Neither hospital had a large enough parcel of land available to locate the facility. We chose the NW Biggs site because it has an existing residential facility, which provides a significant cost savings. In addition, the ideal location for this type of referral-only, residential recovery center is more isolated with limited distractions so that patients can concentrate on sobriety.