A new drug treatment program could be coming to the Berrien County Jail. The Berrien County Board of Commissioners was told this week a resolution to implement the program will forwarded to the board from the county’s Opioid Settlement Task Force. Undersheriff Chuck Heit tells us the sheriff’s department wants to bring a MAT program to the jail. That stands for Medication Assisted Treatment program. It would help those with an opioid addiction recover while in jail.
“We’re trying to help with [withdrawal] through medication,” Heit said. “So, it’s a prescribed medication that’s used with therapy along with it.”
Heit says the program also involves treatment after an inmate is released.
“One of the most dangerous times for an inmate that may have an addiction to an opioid is when they’ve come from leaving the jail. If they do use, that’s where we’ve seen a number of overdoses. So, we’re looking to do what we can to assist.”
Heit says Monroe County has implemented such a program, and it’s been a success there. The MAT program would cost about $180,000 to pilot. The Berrien County Opioid Settlement Task Force was formed to study how the county should use $4.4 million it’s receiving over 18 years as a result of a multi-state opioid settlement with several drug companies. However, it was recently told the county’s share of the settlement could be even bigger than $4.4 million.
