DuPage jail offering new treatment for opioid-addicted inmates
The DuPage jail is offering medication-assisted treatment to inmates struggling with opioid addiction as part of a new program launched by the sheriff's office and county health department.
Officials this week announced the program, which they say will help drug-addicted inmates resist the urge to use opioids after they're released on probation or bonded out.
Research shows that opioid addicts are at risk of dying from an overdose within the first 24 hours of their release from jail.
"They're not able to fight the cravings," Karen Ayala, executive director of the health department, said Thursday. "They go back to use, and their bodies can't tolerate the dosage they ingest."
So the days following an inmate's release are a critical time.
"If we can keep people sober, alive and safe - and get them linked to treatment," Ayala said, "they have a much better chance of surviving and getting into recovery for their substance use disorder."
As part of the medication-assisted treatment program, Vivitrol will be made available to inmates who fit specific criteria and seek to have the drug administered voluntarily, officials said. Vivitrol helps control urges to use opioids.
Officials said participation in the program must be requested by defense attorneys and approved by court order by the judge overseeing the case.
"Our office is very excited about this new program, and expect it will help many clients with substance use disorder with an important step in their treatment journey," DuPage County Public Defender Jeff York said in a written statement.
Vivitrol is a once-a-month injection that blocks opioids from attaching to receptors in the brain. If a person then uses opioids, the effects are blocked.
As part of DuPage's program, eligible inmates will meet with health department staff to receive a substance use and medical evaluation. If approved, they will be given a Vivitrol injection seven to 10 days before being released from the jail.
Ayala said the services - administered by health department counselors, prescribers and nurses - provide the first step on the pathway to recovery that includes ongoing treatment for those transitioning to the community.
Health department officials stress that Vivitrol is used only after someone has undergone detoxification. The person also is told not try to overcome the drug's blocking effect by taking large amounts of opioids, which can lead to serious injury, coma or death.
"When we meet with them, we give them all of these warnings ahead of time to make sure they're fully aware of the possible negative consequences should they choose to do something like that," said Jeff Lata, assistant director of forensic behavioral health.
They also will be referred to ongoing treatment.
"Simply put, heroin users need help if they are to successfully quit using," State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement. "When accompanied with counseling, this program allows us to provide that help by giving users an additional tool at their disposal that will assist them in the prevention of relapsing into opioid dependency."
Officials said the treatment will be paired with services to help the inmates find housing, health insurance, food and counseling.
Sheriff James Mendrick said the Vivitrol program will compliment the rehabilitative model that's been created within the jail. He said 80% of the jail's detainees have issues with alcohol or drug abuse.
"We now have another prong to a wholistic approach to fighting drug addiction in DuPage County," Mendrick said. "We have a great opportunity to significantly improve people's lives during the incarceration process, so when they get out, they have the best chance to be successful, gain employment and lead drug free and crime free lives."
Money for the program is coming from a $1.16 million grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant was awarded to the health department to address the high rates of opioid use and overdoses in DuPage.