PO Box 360 August 6, 2018 |
Shereef Elnahal |
Tour, roundtable feature participants in Atlantic County Jail program
PLEASANTVILLE – Touting the benefits of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) in reducing relapse, overdoses and recidivism among inmates with substance abuse disorder, two top Murphy Administration officials today toured a treatment facility that delivers MAT to Atlantic County jail inmates and listened to success stories from the judge, warden and clients involved in the program.
Department of Health Commissioner (DOH) Shereef Elnahal and Department of Corrections Acting (DOC) Commissioner Marcus O. Hicks Esq. today toured the John Brooks Recovery Center (JBRC) and held a roundtable discussion that included Atlantic County Jail Warden David Kelsey, Superior Court Judge Mark Sandson, and JBRC leadership and focused on the need to spread evidence-based best practices to reduce the opioid epidemic among the general and incarcerated populations.
“The Murphy Administration is taking bold steps to integrate Medication-Assisted Treatment into multiple stages of one’s journey through the criminal justice system,” Commissioner Elnahal said. “Recognizing that opioid addiction is the root cause of a large portion of criminal behavior and recidivism, the Department of Health has partnered with the Department of Corrections and Administrative Office of the Courts to introduce an evidence-based therapy for opioid use disorder—Medication Assisted Treatment—beginning at the time of arrest.
“We are extremely pleased with the success of our Medication Assisted Treatment program for state incarcerated inmates as part of our many opioid initiatives,” said Acting Commissioner Hicks. “Since the inception of the program in November 2017, the NJDOC has had approximately 100 inmates receiving MAT services per month. We believe that MAT, in conjunction with behavior therapy, is a beneficial resource for our inmates that will lead to successful reentry back into society.”
On average, between 70-80 percent of those who are incarcerated have a substance use disorder, and in New Jersey, 80 percent of inmates with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) were under the influence when they committed their crime; and 75 percent of inmates with opioid-use disorder relapse within three months of release.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, people released from incarceration are more than 120 times more likely to die from an opioid overdose death upon release than the general population.
In Rhode Island, which, along with New Jersey, is beginning to get national attention for its jail-based MAT programs, results are showing a 60-percent reduction in overdoses among released prisoners who received MAT while behind bars.
“We have saved many lives through our ability to use this resource to start our participants on MAT in the Atlantic County Jail Facility,” Superior Court Judge Mark Sandson said. “We are now able to place our participants in inpatient or outpatient treatment while stabilized on MAT. I am certain we have saved many lives and have saved our New Jersey citizens countless tax dollars in having this capacity, thus avoiding, in most cases, state prison sentences.”
In fiscal year 2018, New Jersey increased the number of clients receiving MAT at disposition in drug court by 79 percent. Of those individuals, over 75 percent completed a full course of treatment, amounting to 57 more individuals than the year prior. Individuals receiving MAT completed treatment at a much higher rate than those who received other forms of treatment—only 61 percent for the latter category.
DOC has given $1.7 million for MAT Medication Assisted Treatment programs to the following counties: Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Hudson, Middlesex, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Union, and Warren counties.
In addition, the Department of Health is working with the Office of the Attorney General to obtain funding for more Operation Helping Hand initiatives across the State. Operation Helping Hand offers addicted individuals arrested for drug crimes the opportunity to turn their lives around by seeking treatment, including MAT, and/or recovery support services. In a five-county Operation Helping Hand initiative held in June, 84 percent of the individuals arrested accepted the offer of treatment or recovery support services.
The Department of Health is also collaborating with the DOC to initiate MAT for more individuals who are incarcerated in state, county and municipal jails. Since January 2018, 37 inmates in 10 jails across the state were able to start Medication Assisted Treatment in county and municipal jails.
DMHAS and DOC also are establishing three Intensive Recovery Support Teams (IRTS) for a group of 200 prison inmates on MAT and another group of 400 not on MAT but who require SUD services. The IRTS teams will in-reach to the prisons, connect with these inmates ready to be released and link them in the community with recovery services necessary to support wellness and successful community integration. They will help with such issues as SUD treatment adherence, employment and employment advocacy, housing, health and opportunities and skills to enhance the individual’s involvement in meaningful life activities. The IRST’s will use a critical time intervention time limited approach to case management.
The Murphy administration also is integrating MAT into the state parole board, as part of conditions at the time of early release.
“In this population, a striking 91percent of individuals receiving the MAT course complete treatment successfully, vs. only 50 percent who receive other forms of treatment (detoxification, ambulatory withdrawal management, etc.),” Commissioner Elnahal said. “These statistics are powerful testimony to the value of MAT.”
Other participants in the roundtable today included:
After the roundtable, the two commissioners met privately with clients, who shared their challenges and successes.
Commissioner Elnahal praised JBRC staff for launching the MAT program and implementing evidence-based best practices and for their determination to set their clients on the path to recovery. The commissioner also thanked the county officials for their continued support.
John Brooks Recovery Center, licensed for two of the 32 licensed Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) in the state, currently provides MAT services to 36 inmates with an Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) at the Atlantic County Jail via a mobile van that operates out of JBRC and also provides extensive treatment services at its facilities in Pleasantville and Atlantic City.
Since inception of the program, 345 AC Jail inmates with an OUD have been provided MAT services via JBRC’s mobile van.
The Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) provides JBRC with funding to operate its jail program for MAT and $3 million in overall DMHAS funding for its other inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment services.
The inpatient Atlantic City facility plans to move in 2020 to a 120-bed short- and long-term residential facility in Mays Landing to provide greater access to more of South Jersey, where there is a lack of short-term residential beds for Medicaid patients.
Statewide, DMHAS funds five MAT mobile vans for the non-incarcerated OUD population located in Atlantic City, Camden, Paterson, Plainfield and Trenton at an annual total cost of $4.3 million.
DMHAS is applying for funds from the State Opioid Response (SOR) grant offered through SAMHSA, which includes funds that can be used to provide treatment transition and coverage for patients reentering communities from criminal justice settings and/or other rehabilitative settings.
Mid-State Correctional Facility is the New Jersey’s first licensed, clinically-driven Substance Use Disorder treatment program for state-sentenced inmates. Upon entering the NJDOC system, each inmate is clinically assessed for substance use and those identified to have a Substance Use Disorder undergo a comprehensive assessment to evaluate the level of treatment needed. If a male inmate qualifies, they can voluntarily join the Substance Use Disorder treatment program at Mid-State Correctional Facility, which has a capacity of nearly 700 beds. Female inmates who qualify for substance use disorder treatment are offered an equivalent licensed program at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women.
Treatment through the NJDOC also incorporates Medication-Assisted Treatment, in conjunction with behavior therapy, as needed.
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