PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County commissioners Monday unanimously approved the Jefferson County Jail as a medically assisted treatment initiation site for opioid use disorder.
This is a new grant program funded through the state Health Care Authority for Opioid Treatment Networks (OTN). The commissioners agreed to the professional services contract with OTN and a service agreement with Olympic Peninsula Health Services (OPHS) for medication-assisted treatment services.
The contract with OTN began Dec. 31, 2018, and expires Sept. 29, 2019. The total maximum contract amount is $463,000. The contract may be extended beyond the expiration date.
Reimbursement for services are based on the number of unique individuals served. According to Jefferson County Jail Superintendent David Fortino, the local program most likely will not meet the threshold of the funding.
The professional services contract with OPHS is set at $444,700, which covers the cost of providing the service and the cost of medications provided.
“The jail is interested in this contract with the Health Care Authority because it establishes support structures within the jail to help address opioid use disorder with the clients we end up receiving,” said Fortino.
“We’ve seen an increase over the last year with people coming in with programs already established so this would enhance the jail’s ability to serve those clients. Many are members of drug court or mental health court who have established themselves in the community.”
Fortino said, in any given day, the jail could see three to four affected people, with an average of 100 bookings in a month. This program seeks to establish 18 unique individuals per month. The average stay is 10 to 12 days.
Fortino said there is a population that will benefit from additional screenings at the jail.
“Our correction staff identifies people on opiates,” he said.
“This program allows us to induct those individuals within hours and get them education on the treatment programs available to them. Then once an inmate is dropped off in the community, they are connected to those community resources, specifically OPHS.”
County Administrator Philip Morley said the program serves two important purposes.
“As people either relapse or remain addicted to opiates, there’s a real danger of them dying,” he said. “So this is partially about saving lives. Secondly, people who remain addicted are repeat customers. They need to feed their habit. That leads to criminal activities. It’s hard to keep a job if you’re addicted. It is a pressing community problem.
“The thought is by bringing medication-assisted treatment, and as Mr. Fortino said, this ‘warm handoff’ to community services outside of the jail, the hope is to save lives and help some of the people get off the cycle of addiction, criminal activity and being repeat clients of our jail and criminal justice system.”
Fortino said Jefferson County’s plan is to have clients seen within a day or so. A registered nurse will take on the screenings three days a week or be on call to help address opioid withdrawal immediately.
He said the grant pays for the medication while the individual is incarcerated.
“Part of the service that OPHS provides is when people are released, they will try to get them signed up for Medicaid so that will pick up and carry on with the medication,” Fortino said. “We have had furlough requests from jail for treatment. The benefit of the warm handoff is much better.”
Commissioner David Sullivan, who was a nurse, was happy to see this program instituted in the county.
“We are responsible for these people in jail,” he said. “We are responsible for their medical needs. It behooves us to increase these systems.
“I’ve worked in this system before. It’s something that we’ve needed more of. We’ve increased medical services in the jail over the years, and it will continue to happen. This is a step in the right direction.”
In 2016, the Clallam County jail became the first county jail on the West Coast to offer a medically assisted treatment program for inmates.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Jeannie McMacken can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jmcmacken@peninsuladailynews.com.
