Untreated addiction in Oregon is a rapidly escalating crisis affecting our businesses, our families and our communities. Oregon has the fourth-highest addiction rate in the nation and ranks 50th in the United States for access to treatment.
This September there is something you can do about it. Join hundreds of people in recovery — and their friends and families — on September 7 for a Walk for Recovery in downtown Bend. This is an empowering, stigma-fighting event designed to raise funds for Oregon Recovers, a statewide organization dedicated to ending Oregon’s addiction crisis.
Here are a few ways addiction impacts local businesses, communities and our government:
- Every year in Oregon, over 2,100 people die due to untreated addiction. That is a fatality rate 700 percent higher than the worst year of the AIDS epidemic in Oregon.
- Nearly ten percent of people in central Oregon suffer from addiction
- Untreated addiction costs Oregon $5.9 billion each year, over $4 billion of those costs are in lost earnings
- Addiction costs American businesses an average of $81 billion in lost profits every year. Absenteeism, theft in the workplace, losses in productivity, high turnover, utilization of sick time and decreases in quality of work all play a role in increasing unexpected costs to employers
- 67 percent of Human Resource managers say that addiction is a significant problem for their company
Oregon Recovers is working to reduce addiction rates and increase recovery rates by mobilizing communities and those affected by addiction. We need partners in our effort to reduce the number of families suffering from addiction. The September 7 event is a great way to start. Sign up your company team to walk with us or donate to support addiction recovery.
Sponsor the walk with a gift of $500, $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000. Sponsorship will be recognized with honorable mention at the event and brand recognition on all digital media.
Lastly, we are actively looking for local businesses to provide in-kind food donations for our event participants. Please reach out to Andrew Swanson at 971-335-9033 if you are interested in providing in-kind sponsorship.
For more information locally about the event, reach out to Caroline Fitchett at 503-888-1233.