The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has awarded a three-year contract to Health Management Associates (HMA) to serve as project administrator for a technical assistance program for up to 24 county jails seeking to implement or expand medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) programs.
Participating counties will receive grants up to $25,000 to cover associated costs.
This project is funded through opioid settlement dollars and is designed to address significant overdose risks in incarcerated populations during and following incarceration by increasing access to MOUD programs.
The State of Michigan is expected to receive more than $800 million over 18 years as part of the $26 billion nationwide settlement with the three largest pharmaceutical distributors as well as opioid manufacturer Johnson and Johnson.
“In Michigan, we are addressing disparities by prioritizing the needs of vulnerable populations as we distribute settlement dollars across the state,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive. “Medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder has been proven effective to reduce the risk of overdoses, and expanding this program in our county jails is a priority.”
Since 2019, HMA has provided training and technical assistance to both jail and prison systems to support implementation of MOUD programs in more than 70 jails and four departments of corrections in 17 states, including the Michigan Department of Corrections.
HMA will provide individualized technical assistance and training, assisting jails in the development of a MOUD continuum of care model that will identify and treat opioid use disorder while individuals are in jail and then ensure they have necessary resources to continue treatment upon release.
To be eligible for participation, county jails must provide at least two of the three U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved medications for opioid use disorder. Participation in the technical assistance learning collaborative is required to receive grant funding.
HMA is now recruiting county jails to participate in the jail MOUD learning collaborative. Counties interested in participating in or learning more should contact MI_JailMOUD_LC@healthmanagement.com.
Additional information regarding projects being funded through opioids settlement dollars is available on the opioids settlement website.
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