Health Management Associates (HMA) created the project “County Touchpoints in Access to MAT for Justice-Involved Populations” with the recognition that persons released from jail and receiving MAT frequently encountered judges, probation officers, child welfare workers, and other justice system personnel who did not consider the person to be “clean” or “drug free” if they were using MAT. Often, clients were encouraged or required by agencies to reduce or terminate MAT in order to qualify for services, be released from probation, or regain custody of their children. Prematurely reducing or terminating MAT places the individual at very high and preventable risk for relapse, overdose and death.
The project is continuing to focus on working with county justice systems through two learning collaboratives:
- In the first learning collaborative, HMA is providing 13 multi-agency county teams with technical assistance support to improve the outcomes of children and parents affected by opioid use disorder and methamphetamine/stimulant use in the Child Welfare and Justice Systems by building sustainable, family-centered, evidence-based, integrated practices across local justice, child welfare, and behavioral health systems.
- Participating Counties 2020-2022: Butte; Kings; Lake; Los Angeles; Mendocino; Monterey; Orange; Santa Barbara; Santa Clara; Santa Cruz; Shasta; Sonoma; Stanislaus
- The second learning collaborative supports five multi-agency county teams to optimize their approaches to two subpopulations of persons with opioid use disorder and methamphetamine/stimulant use in the justice system: 1) those with early problem substance use who encounter the justice system but are not detained and therefore may not be introduced to treatment options, and 2) those with a serious mental illness along with addiction. Teams receive technical assistance to build local patient-centered, evidence-based, sustainable, and integrated practices across law enforcement, justice, health care, crisis intervention, and other local systems targeted at one of these two unique populations.
- Participating Counties 2020-2022: San Bernardino; Orange; Siskiyou; San Luis Obispo; Santa Barbara
More information about these projects for justice-involved individuals led by HMA is available at AddictionFreeCA.org.