A Hidden Epidemic: Recognizing and Treating Alcohol Use Disorder in Correctional Settings Wednesday, April 24, 2024 | 2:00-3:00pm ET
Important US Justice Department and Jail Settlements for MAT in Pennsylvania and Kentucky
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania jail Agrees to Provide MAT After Denying Entering Detainee Methadone
The Justice Department recently announced that Allegheny County, Pennsylvania has agreed to offer treatment with any FDA-approved medication for opioid use disorder (OUD) to all individuals booked into the Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) for whom such treatment is medically appropriate. Allegheny County will also pay $10,000 to an individual allegedly denied access to methadone in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under the three-year agreement, Allegheny County will implement new policies and personnel training programs to ensure that people with OUD who are incarcerated at the jail receive medically appropriate treatment for their disability. The county will also offer all individuals with OUD booked into the jail the option to receive treatment with any FDA-approved medically appropriate OUD medication, even if they were not being treated with that medication before their incarceration.
The settlement agreement requires BSRDC to revise its policies to provide access to all three forms of FDA-approved medications to people with OUD and ensure that decisions about treatment are based on an individualized determination by qualified medical personnel. Specifically, BSRDC will medically evaluate all individuals for OUD at the start of their incarceration. It will ensure that individuals who were receiving OUD medication from a licensed treatment provider before their incarceration are continued on that medication. The facility will also offer all individuals with OUD booked into the jail the option to receive treatment with any FDA-approved medically appropriate OUD medication, even if they were not being treated with that medication before their incarceration.
This new resource from the Health and Reentry Project (HARP) discusses the role Medicaid expansion will play in transforming jail and prison withdrawal management and opioid use disorder treatment. It includes information about what will be requires and what should be done beyond those requirement to ensure corrections realizes its significant role in responding to the opioid epidemic.
This guide to gender-responsive approaches, developed by The Council of State Governments Justice Center in partnership with the National Resource Center on Justice Involved Women, can help program providers in behavioral health and criminal justice settings across the country develop gender-responsive programs. agencies, including prisons and jails, and the role of Governors and other state officials in promoting it.