CHER Core Faculty, Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein and colleagues publish work that concludes that prison and jail-based programs that screen and provide treatment for Opioid Use Disorder has the potential to reduce overdose post-release and save lives.
“Current findings underscore the importance of post-release retention in treatment among persons who receive medications for OUD while incarcerated, as well as the need for concurrent interventions that mitigate overdose risk for this population.”
“Our model projected that wide scale uptake of screening and treatment with medications for OUD in prison and jail settings would produce substantial reductions in opioid-related overdose deaths. These findings can be used by lawmakers, state public health officials, and prison and jail administrators when considering investments and potential impacts of interventions that can reduce overdose for persons who are incarcerated and for their overall jurisdiction, particularly in those states identified as having the highest numbers of potential deaths averted.”
Read full text here or https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376871620300235.