Inmates First in State to Get Mobile Methadone Program InmatesattheAtlanticCountyJusticeFacilityarethefirstinthestateto getmethadone,amedicationassistedtreatmentforopioidaddiction,from amobileservicewhilebehindbars ESTELL MANOR, N.J. (AP) — One by one, inmates at the Atlantic County Justice Facility made their way outside in a secured area on a recent Wednesday and stepped into a bus from the John Brooks Recovery Center for their daily dose of methadone. The inmates are the first in the state to get methadone, a medication assisted treatment for opioid addiction, from a mobile service while behind bars. The jail and the recovery center teamed up for the state's pilot program in order to bridge the gap in services for incarcerated addicts. By NICOLE LEONARD, The Press of Atlantic City
"This is a cause near and dear to my heart," Geraldine Cohen, the jail warden, told The Press of Atlantic City (http://bit.ly/2xammUn). "My son has been in recovery for 13 years with help from methadone. He's now got a really good job, bought a house and is getting married. Hopefully, we can help more people like my son with this program." The mobile methadone clinic, managed by the John Brooks Center and staffed with experts from the center, county jail and Jewish Family Service, aims to treat pregnant women abusing opioids or on methadone, any inmate already using methadone and addicted people with high risk of recidivism. The program currently provides medication treatment for about 11 people. Alan Oberman, center director, expects to enroll up to 50 inmates at a time for the program in the near future. "We know the program will reduce the chance of an overdose once they get out," Oberman said. "One of the most at-risk populations for overdoses is recently incarcerated people. Their tolerance for the drug drops after they are clean in jail for a period of time, so if they use when they get out, they are likely to overdose." About 65 percent of all the 2.3 million U.S. inmates meet the medical criteria for substance abuse addiction, according to a report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. However, it showed only about 11 percent actually receive treatment.
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