The FDA approves methadone for the treatment of opioid use disorders. 

ETS is incorporated under its former name, Central Breakthrough Maintenance Program, on May 21, 1973. A team of  14 staff members led by Executive Director Tom Odell, served around 200 patients  in Seattle’s Central District.

Read more about Tom’s time as ED.

With the demand for services growing, the agency quickly outgrew the Cherry Street clinic and moved to 23rd & Union to increase the capacity to serve more community members.

Read more about ETS in the 1970s and 80s in our ETS by the Decades blog series.

Dr. Sam Cullison is hired as ETS’s first Medical Director. Dr. Cullison went on to serve as the agency’s Medical Director for 35 years. 

ETS hires Ron Jackson as Executive Director.

Read about Ron’s long and impactful tenure on our blog.

The agency officially changes its name to “Evergreen Treatment Services” and moves operations to 557 Roy Street in Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne neighborhood.

Hear from Carol Davidson on working at ETS during this time on our blog.

With operations continuing to grow, ETS hires its first Administrative Director, Jack Eckrem. Jack retired from his role in 2008 and then served on the ETS Board of Directors until 2021, a total of 33 years of service. 

ETS moves again to a bigger facility, this time to Pioneer Square, hoping to better meet the growing demand for recovery support services. 

More than 500 people are receiving care at Evergreen Treatment Services.

Hear from medical provider Jackie Brolsma who started at ETS in 1990 on our blog.  

King County Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse funds an acupuncture research project at ETS. This was the beginning of the Acupuncture Program that is still in operation today at ETS’s Seattle Clinic.

Hear from our Manager of Acupuncture Yoji Kobayashi on our blog.

ETS’s multi-disciplinary team surpasses 50 staff members.

Read more about ETS in the 1990s in our ETS By the Decades blog series.

ETS launches the REACH Project to help address the needs of people living unhoused in Seattle. 

ETS moves operations to 1700 Airport Way S in the SODO neighborhood, the current home of the Seattle Clinic. 

ETS deploys its first Mobile Methadone Clinic into the community. This was the third mobile clinic to launch in the US, behind Baltimore and Boston. In its first year of operation, the mobile clinic served 130 patients. 

The REACH Camera Club is formed. Disposable cameras were given to clients and empowered to engage with their whole self and their community through photography. Club members met weekly to share stories and photos.

Read more about ETS in the 2000s in our ETS by the Decades blog series.

ETS becomes a founding community partner of the Pacific Northwest Node of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Clinical Trials Network to forge partnerships to improve the quality of drug abuse treatment in our region and throughout the nation. 

ETS expands its services beyond King County, opening the South Sound Clinic in Olympia, WA. 

Ron Jackson is awarded the Nyswander-Dole Award from AATOD for extraordinary work and service in the opioid treatment field. Nominated by the state, Ron was the first award recipient from the state of Washington. 

More than 1,000 people are receiving care at Evergreen Treatment Services.   

WA State Department of Social & Health Services (DSHS), Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, present ETS with the Community Leadership Award. 

ETS’s multi-disciplinary team surpasses 100 staff members. 

King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services Division (MHCADS) presents the REACH Program with an exemplary service award for service innovation. 

ETS is awarded the Outstanding Services Award by WA State Department of Social & Health Services (DSHS), Division of Behavioral Health & Recovery (DBHR). 

More than 1,500 people are receiving care at Evergreen Treatment Services.   

ETS, in partnership with the Public Defenders Association, launches the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) Program, providing a credible alternative to booking people into jail for criminal activity that stems from unmet behavioral health needs or poverty. Since its inception, LEAD has become a national model for harm reduction and replicated in cities across the US.

Read more about ETS in the 2010s in our ETS by the Decades blog series.

After 34 years as Executive Director, Ron Jackson retires.

Dr. Molly Carney starts as ETS’s Executive Director.

Read more about Molly’s time at the helm on our blog.

Dr. Paul Grekin becomes Medical Director of the Seattle Clinic. Originally hired in 1990 as Staff Psychiatrist, Dr. Grekin became Medical Director of the Seattle Clinic in 2013 and the South King County Clinic when it opened in 2016. 

Hear from Paul about his time at ETS on our blog.

ETS opens its third location, the Grays Harbor Clinic, in Hoquiam, WA.

More than 2,000 people are receiving care at Evergreen Treatment Services.   

REACH’s Vital program begins with the aim to improve the lives of King County’s most vulnerable individuals by shifting away from a criminal-legal response to homelessness and behavioral health crises to a coordinated health and human services response. 

ETS brings services to Renton with the opening of its fourth location, the South King County Clinic. 

ETS’s multi-disciplinary team surpasses 200 staff members. 

On October 27, 2017, The Trump Administration officially declares the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency. 

ETS hosts US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy. The visit was part of his national “Turn the Tide on Addiction” campaign to discuss initiatives to combat the opioid epidemic.   

More than 2,500 people are receiving care at Evergreen Treatment Services.   

ETS’s multi-disciplinary team surpasses 250 staff members. 

ETS celebrates 45 years of service, hosting its very first luncheon fundraising event at the Four Seasons Hotel. The event brought together hundreds of community members and supporters. 

More than 3,000 people are receiving care at Evergreen Treatment Services.   

After a brief but impactful 5 years of service, the Grays Harbor Clinic closes its doors. 

After years of being immobile, the original Mobile Methadone Clinic is decommissioned and replaced. The new and improved mobile clinic is deployed to the University District and Belltown neighborhood 

REACH’s Reentry program begins to help participants transition smoothly from the criminal legal system to successful engagement with community-based services, like housing support and harm reduction-based care coordination. 

Dr. Paul Grekin becomes Medical Director for all ETS clinic locations. 

Stephen Woolworth starts as ETS’s Chief Executive Officer in January 2020, following the retirement of Molly Carney. 

On March 25, 2020, Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order takes effect to slow the spread of  COVID-19. ETS remains open as an essential service, quickly adapting operations to maintain continuity of care for patients and clients. 

With many services shuttered or experiencing delays because of the pandemic, REACH begins the pop-up tent program to better connect clients to the support services. These spaces popped up outdoors, alongside services people already use, like food banks, to offer support in one place. 

The University of Washington Police Department presents the REACH Program with the Chief’s Commendation Award. 

The 3rd Annual Event: “Roots of Recovery,” goes virtual. Over 600 ETS community members and supporters joined from around the world. 

ETS’s multi-disciplinary team surpasses 300 staff members. 

The REACH Program celebrates 25 years of service. 

ETS purchases the Seattle Clinic building at 1700 Airport Way S for $10.5 million, becoming first- time property owners. 

ETS undergoes an agency-wide restructure. Under the umbrella of Evergreen Treatment Services, three divisions are named: Clinic Services, REACH, and Administration. 

More than 3,000 people are receiving care at Evergreen Treatment Services.   

Attorney General Bob Ferguson announces that Washington state would receive class action settlement with three companies found to have played key roles in fueling the opioid epidemic, totaling $518 million. 

REACH is awarded the Benefits Law Center 2022 Equity Award for social security advocacy. 

WA State Health Care Authority awards funding to ETS’s South Sound Clinic for the purchase of a new Mobile Clinic. This mobile clinic will bring lifesaving treatment to people in Thurston and Mason Counties.