Substance Use Disorder is one of the most serious threats facing our society today. It is the single largest killer and the numbers are rising.

Hope Recovery Center was established as a nonprofit organization in the State of Washington in September 2015 by Jeremiah Saucier, CDP and a grass roots community group as they witnessed an increasing number of residents becoming chemically dependent in their peaceful rural community on the Key Peninsula in northwest Pierce County, Washington.  The disease of substance use disorder had developed a crushing grip on individuals, both young and old, male and female, regardless of economic status.  Few resources exist in or near this small community to combat the disease, yet Mr. Saucier and a team of community stakeholders persisted to engage and educate the broader community about the challenges and unmet needs of those who experience the disease of substance use disorders.  

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Compelling Evidence Supports the Need

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a medical problem. And, there are treatments that work.  Yet, so many people die or fail to recover from this devastating illness as a result of access to appropriate services due to geographical and transportation challenges, lack of insurance or income sources to cover the cost of treatment, and unwillingness of insurance companies to pay for the length of treatment that many individuals require.  The need for SUD treatment and supportive services has grown exponentially in recent years, as illustrated by the pie chart below, and is also reflected in the excessive waiting periods for people who are desperate and ready for treatment but find there are no slots available, and “cookie cutter” programs fail to recognize the unique needs of each individual that must be met in order for the “whole” person to adapt to societal norms.

• The Centers for Disease Control has discovered that more than 75 percent of individuals who started using heroin only did so after abusing prescription opioids such as oxycodone and fentanyl. A large number of addicts made the switch to heroin because it is chemically similar to prescription opioids, but less expensive and easier to obtain.
• Nationally, death from drug overdose with prescription pain relievers more than doubled between 2002 and 2015.
• Deaths from heroin overdose were over six times greater in 2015 than in 2002.
• The majority of individuals who use heroin also use other drugs; most use as many as 3 other drugs.
• In July 2016, Tacoma-Pierce County Public Health reported a recent rise in opioid police evidence cases that is driven by the recurrence of heroin which has returned to prominence.
• Drug and narcotic violations are common occurrences in rural Pierce County, as well as nearby Port Orchard, Shelton and Bremerton, according to the Washington Association of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs.
• In October 2016, Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced in a Policy Brief that “Opioid misuse and abuse is a public health crisis that is hurting every community in every corner of our state.”
• Premature death due to drug overdose increased across community types, with large suburban metro, smaller metro, and rural counties having the highest rates.  (2017 Community Health Rankings and Roadmaps. (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Health Institute)