Over 3,500 Clients Served in Oregon: More Than All Clinical Trials Combined
I’m honored to be sending you my first update as the new Executive Director of the Healing Advocacy Fund. I’ve been working in the HAF orbit for some time now as a colleague and advisor, so I already had a strong understanding of the work this team has accomplished. But stepping into this leadership role has given me an entirely new appreciation for the relationships HAF has built and the unique, critical role the organization plays in the psychedelic ecosystem.
It also gives me deep appreciation for the work of HAF’s founding executive director Sam Chapman. After generously agreeing to spend the month of May helping with the leadership transition, Sam officially ends his work with HAF this week and heads into some very well-earned time off. I’ve known Sam and worked with him for many years and in many capacities. So, as I’ve taken the reins this month, I haven’t been surprised to find that he’s built an organization deeply and smartly embedded in the detailed work of psychedelic policy creation. Sam has a gift and a passion for that work, and we’ve all been fortunate that he’s done it on behalf of HAF and the entire ecosystem for the last 4+ years. Please join me in a heartfelt thank you to Sam. Enjoy your time off, and we’ll all look forward to your next contributions to the field!
Psychedelic programs like the ones in Oregon and Colorado are an unprecedented opportunity to bring healing to people who need it. And we’re not the only ones who’ve noticed. This year alone, 28 additional states have considered some form of legislation or policy change related to psychedelic-assisted care. This month also marks a milestone in Oregon’s psilocybin program, with over 3,500 clients now served, at the one-year anniversary of the first service center opening. We’re on the threshold of momentous change.
Like most of you, I’ve watched people I care about struggle with mental health and wellness in their lives, and often without getting the help they need from traditional care alone. I believe people deserve access to psychedelic-assisted care as another promising tool in the toolbox. And they deserve for that care to be held to clear standards, accountability, and trustworthiness. That’s the work HAF supports, and it’s why I’m so honored to take on this role.
HAF has been a powerful advocate for thoughtful policy and implementation in Oregon and Colorado. The opportunity to continue that valuable work and bring the lessons we’re learning to policymakers and advocates across the country is incredible. I’m so grateful to join this remarkable team.
Taylor West
Executive Director
FROM THE BOARD
A Note from HAF Board of Directors Chair Graham Boyd
In late 2020, Sam Chapman and I co-founded the Healing Advocacy Fund in recognition that we needed an organization focused on implementing the new program in Oregon and setting up to play that role in future states.
Sam was not just the founding Executive Director; he was the organization for some period of time, wearing many hats and wrangling many stakeholders in those early, crucial days.
He is the reason HAF exists and he is unquestionably one of the most important figures in the successful launch of the Oregon program — and he did much of it behind the scenes.
I’m excited for Sam to take his well-deserved sabbatical, but I’m even more excited to see what he does next. Please join me in thanking Sam for his leadership and for all of his crucial work.
With gratitude,
Graham
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Inner Guidance Services' Dee Lafferty Featured Speaker at Kentucky AIDS Education Conference
Dee Lafferty, owner of Inner Guidance Services, a psilocybin service center in Albany, Oregon, presented at the Kentucky AIDS Education Conference in April, where she shared her expertise in utilizing psychedelics to provide mental health support to underserved and vulnerable populations. Dee shared her work as a licensed Oregon service center operator and facilitator with physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, social workers, health educators and therapists who currently provide or could provide care services to persons living with HIV/AIDS.
UPDATES
Up to Date Numbers on Oregon Psilocybin Services Program Licensing
The following information has been compiled through the OHA’s Psilocybin Services website.
These numbers are updated on a weekly basis and are subject to change. Last updated 5/29/24.
Oregon Program Reaches Milestone
One year ago this month, the very first psilocybin service center in Oregon opened its doors in Eugene. Since then, approximately 3,500 clients have gone through Oregon’s program—more than the combined number of every participant in a psilocybin clinical trial to date. There are 27 service centers up and running across the state, spreading from Portland to the Willamette Valley, to Central and Southern Oregon.
During the first half of 2024, HAF Oregon’s main priorities have been pushing the state to build more client safety measures into the rules, educating prospective clients on how to navigate the program, and sharing information and success stories with our local and national communities. Through monthly convenings, we continue to learn and evolve with service center operators, and coordinate education on issues related to safety and access, including a cardiac health webinar.
Looking forward, we will continue to leverage our unique relationships and expertise spanning both the Oregon and Colorado programs, bridging the information gap and sharing lessons learned to improve both programs. This September brings the opportunity to weigh in on updates to the Oregon rules, and we are working with the service center community to identify priorities.
As of April 2024, 28 states have considered some type of psilocybin therapy model, and we are looking forward to supporting the states that pass legislation through our own lessons learned, including potentially Massachusetts this year. As state policy efforts pop up across the country, we will continue to work towards being at the center of building safe, successful programs, supporting high-quality facilitated healing, and shaping the national and global narrative about the transformative potential of thoughtfully designed psychedelic care.
Colorado Continues with Rulemaking
Colorado regulators are now deeply into the work of creating rules for the state’s Natural Medicine program, and we expect all rules to be finalized by August. The HAF Colorado team has become a trusted resource and advisor to that work. Much of our expertise and credibility is due to the close partnership between HAF’s Oregon and Colorado teams, allowing us to provide a consistent stream of knowledge and lessons learned back and forth between the two states.
As the rules process continues, the HAF team has stayed focused on client safety. Working with community partners, we have successfully advocated for more effective screening and safety mechanisms; broader client access, by allowing preparation and integration sessions to happen online rather than requiring them to be in-person; and greater flexibility in healing center business structures, making it easier for practitioners to offer psychedelic healing in conjunction with other modalities like coaching, psychiatry, psychology, yoga, breathwork, or somatic bodywork.
DORA’s draft rules for facilitator training and licensing are currently under review following a May 3rd hearing and are likely to be finalized in the near future. Additionally, the agencies have published draft rules for standards of care for the practice of facilitation, advertising, violations and complaints, and healing center licensing – all of which are subject to ongoing public comment. Draft rules released so far, opportunities for public comment, and upcoming public meeting dates can be viewed here.
New Portland Service Center Opens in NE Portland: Cora Center
The Cora team came together around a shared passion for collective healing, social change, and liberation. Our Co-Founders, Claudia Cuentas LMFT, Syre Saniyah Ph.D, and Rebecca Martinez first collaborated as leaders of Alma Institute, a 501(c)3 nonprofit career school. There, we ran a psilocybin facilitator training program for a cohort of 35 people under Oregon’s Measure 109 framework for legal psilocybin services. The program was built upon four pillars: Indigenous Wisdom, Trauma-Informed Care, Social Justice, and Experiential Learning. Along the way, we collaborated with many leading voices in the field of psychedelic healing, learned about the opportunities and challenges of above-ground work, and endeavored to bridge the worlds of sacred medicine and the state’s regulated access program.
EVENTS
Aspen Psychedelic Symposium 2024
On Friday, May 31, and Saturday, June 1, join Aspen Public Radio, Healing Advocacy Fund, and the Aspen Psychedelic Resource Center for the 2024 Aspen Psychedelic Symposium at the historic Wheeler Opera House in the heart of Aspen, Colorado. This two-day gathering will showcase expert panels, groundbreaking research, and firsthand insights into the transformative world of psychedelic medicines. Explore tradition, science, and advocacy; connect with scientists, doctors, and luminaries; and delve into the future of psychedelics.
> Learn More & Register
RESOURCES
Are You Interested in Psilocybin Therapy in Oregon, But Don't Know How to Find the Right Facilitator?
Selecting the right service center and facilitator is essential to a safe psilocybin experience. The HAF Client Guide gives prospective clients the tools to evaluate whether a particular facilitator and service center is right for them, complete with a list of questions to ask before you decide to proceed.
It’s important to know that in order to become a state-regulated licensed facilitator, certain requirements need to be met, including graduating from a licensed training program, passing a background check, and passing a state-certified exam; participation in facilitator conduct standards; sharing the Client Bill of Rights and Informed Consent form with every client; and following required emergency safety protocols. Thanks to the accountability that is built into a state-regulated psilocybin therapy model, clients have the right to register complaints with the OHA for violation of any of these rules.
Here are 5 categories of questions you’ll want to keep in mind when seeking out a facilitator:
Experience and Dosage: How long have you been a facilitator? How many psychedelic and specifically psilocybin experiences have you facilitated? Have you previously facilitated a session using the same size dosage you are recommending to me?
Touch: What are your views about touching a client during a psilocybin experience? Will you respect my decision 100% if I decide on “no touch” other than in the case of an emergency?
Trauma-Informed Training: Have you had training about facilitating in a trauma-informed way? What was the training? Have you worked with someone before who is dealing with what I am?
In case of emergency: What happens if I need emergency medical attention during or after my administration session? How did you formulate this plan? Has this plan been vetted by any medical professional?
Licenses: Do you have any licenses or certifications outside of your psilocybin services facilitation license? Which ones? From which licensing authorities and in which states do you hold those licenses?
For the full list of questions we recommend before choosing a facilitator, read the full guide.
Have You Received Services Through Oregon's Psilocybin Therapy Program? Share Your Experience!
Help us share stories about the profound impact state-regulated psychedelic healing can have by sharing your experience with the Healing Advocacy Fund.
> Share Your Story
IN THE NEWS
Oregon Psilocybin Advocate Healing Advocacy Fund Names New Director
Portland Business Journal
An organization born of Oregon's 2020 psilocybin ballot measure has a new
executive director. Taylor West is taking the reins of the Healing Advocacy Fund from Sam Chapman, who is moving on to other endeavors in June. The nonprofit fund advocates for and provides education around psilocybin in both Oregon and Colorado.
> Read the Full Article
Oregon Psilocybin Therapy Centers Mark the First Year in Business
Jefferson Exchange
We get a sense of the landscape in "magic mushroom" therapy after the first year, in a visit with two supporters. Heidi Pendergast is the Oregon Program Director for the Healing Advocacy Fund. Drew Snyder provides the therapy at Omnia Group Ashland.
> Listen to the Full Story
Science Supports Healing Power of Psilocybin
Colorado Politics
In 2022 Coloradans voted yes on Proposition 122, allowing regulated access for adults 21 and older to natural psychedelic medicines, including psilocybin, that show promise in treating a variety of mental health conditions. For nearly a year, regulators and an expert advisory board have been carefully crafting requirements for Colorado’s new psilocybin therapy program, and in 2025, Colorado will officially become the second state to offer this groundbreaking modality for those who can safely benefit.
> Read the Full Article
Former Oregon Twitter Exec Credits Elon Musk for Career Change to Psilocybin Therapy
Portland Business Journal
For Kat Thompson, a layoff was a blessing in disguise, leading her to start Fractal Soul, a Beaverton psilocybin service center.
> Read the Full Article
First Responders, Veterans Hail Benefits of Psychedelic Drugs as California Debates Legalization*
California Healthline
Wade Trammell recalls the time he and his fellow firefighters responded to a highway crash in which a beer truck rammed into a pole, propelling the truck’s engine through the cab and into the driver’s abdomen.
> Read the Full Article
*Since this article was published, SB 1012 was tabled by the Senate Appropriations Committee, effectively killing the bill. A coalition in California is now exploring alternative options.
Aspen Psychedelic Symposium Returns with Two-Day Event
The Sopris Sun
On Saturday, Tasia Poinsatte, the nonprofit’s Colorado director, will moderate a panel titled Psychedelic Healing and Community Empowerment: Navigating State Access Models in Oregon and Colorado. “The goal of this panel is to help people imagine what might be possible as we make this change in Colorado and Oregon. We now have this opportunity to see what’s happening in Oregon and learn from their process. I’m fortunate to have spent some time in Oregon speaking with people opening businesses and running nonprofits that provide psilocybin therapy today.”
> Read the Full Article