Montana Department of Corrections receives grant for opioid response

HELENA Leaders with the Montana Division of Corrections (DOC) have introduced they’ve acquired a $780,000 grant to assist their response to the opioid epidemic.

The Montana Board of Crime Management awarded the DOC the grant final month for a Complete Opioid Abuse Program. Division leaders stated they’ll use the cash to develop further applications and assist cowl reimbursement for some medicines, tools and medication-assisted remedy. The DOC’s Well being Providers Bureau remains to be finalizing their program choices.

“We’re honored the Montana Board of Crime Management selected to award this grant to the Division of Corrections to assist fight the opioid disaster in Montana,” DOC Director Brian Gootkin stated in a press release. “Due to this grant, we’ll be capable to supply extra providers to people below our supervision via our Rehabilitation and Packages Division. These applications will assist lower drug offenses and higher guarantee offenders are profitable once they transition again to Montana communities.”

The DOC pointed to information from the Nationwide Institute on Drug Abuse, displaying 65% of inmates in U.S. prisons are coping with substance use issues. Within the final fiscal 12 months, prison possession of harmful medicine was by far the most typical offense for individuals in Montana DOC services.

The division says they have already got substance use dysfunction remedy obtainable in any respect their services. They are saying inmates are screened by dependancy counselors when they’re introduced in, to find out what stage of remedy they could want.

“It is a great alternative to proceed constructing on the work we have already been doing at our safe services to assist inmates who’re scuffling with substance use issues,” stated Cindy Hiner, chief of the Well being Providers Bureau. “We look ahead to rolling out new evidence-based programming to assist inmates of their restoration journey and hopefully maintain them from returning to us.”

The grant will run from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023.