The Office of the Governor of the State of Oregon
07/29/2026 | Press release | Archived content
7/29/26: Clackamas Recovery Center Groundbreaking Remarks
Clackamas Recovery Center Groundbreaking Remarks
July 29, 2026
Good morning! What a great day to celebrate the next step in a very important project for Clackamas County and the entire Metro area.
Today, we break ground on a place that will save lives. This integrated, comprehensive approach to providing healthcare, housing, and support to Oregonians struggling with addiction is absolutely critical to making sure our neighbors have what they need.
This model matters more than it might sound. We lose too many people on the path to recovery when there are gaps between programs and service providers. A strong relationship between a person and their treatment provider is often what keeps someone moving forward - and continuity between programs strengthens that connection. This is how you give people a stronger opportunity to succeed.
This campus demonstrates what's possible when local, state, and regional partners work together. When Clackamas County leadership said they needed a final $10 million to add the needed transitional housing and get the project's funding completed, I identified unspent resources and moved those funds under the authority of the state's homelessness emergency.
We can make things happen when we work together for a common purpose.
This groundbreaking is part of a larger picture of progress across Oregon. Since I took office, state behavioral health investments have created more than 1,600 new treatment beds statewide that are now open or are in the pipeline. Oregon has never seen this kind of growth in our behavioral health system. Thank you for being part of it.
As we expand treatment capacity, we're also addressing the behavioral health workforce shortage - because the two must go hand in hand. This work is now guided by rigorous, community-driven research. Led by the First Lady, my Behavioral Health Talent Council met with frontline providers, people with lived experience, and leaders across the state to produce a comprehensive report that is now guiding our next steps. We're already pushing forward to implement strategies that will make a difference.
Of course, there is more work to do. Too many families watch their loved ones suffer without adequate support. We have made real progress, and we should celebrate that today. But let's keep pushing hard - together - to make sure every Oregonian has what they need to be healthy and safe.
To the Clackamas County leaders and community partners who drove this project: thank you. Your commitment is making a real difference.
The Office of the Governor of the State of Oregon published this content on July 29, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 31, 2026 at 21:23 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]