Share:
House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 23, 2023 02:49 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Maureen E. Madden and Rep. Michael H. Schlossberg |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Helping County Jails Establish and Expand Medication Treatments for Opioid Use Disorder Programs |
| Despite our best efforts, the opioid epidemic continues to gravely impact so many individuals and families across this nation. In fact, according to this 2021 report from the Office of the PA Attorney General, 14 Pennsylvanians die every day from an overdose, with that number expected to rise each year. In the U.S. prison population alone, roughly 65% of individuals who are incarcerated have an active substance use disorder (SUD). However, barely 1% of prisons and jails across the country offer a Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) program. The leading cause of death for individuals released from prison or jail is fatal drug overdose, yet research shows that inmates who receive MOUD are 75% less likely to die from an overdose. Act 80 of 2015 established the Nonnarcotic Medication Assisted Substance Abuse Treatment Grant for PA county jails that want to offer naltrexone (e.g. Vivitrol) to inmates experiencing SUD. While this medication has been helpful and lifesaving in treating these individuals, it is not as effective as other forms of MOUD and still requires the individual to detox. Further, according to a 2022 report by the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, only 16 of 62 (26%) PA county jails offer naltrexone, while 9 of 62 (15%) do not offer any form of MOUD. County jails want access to all FDA-approved and expert-endorsed forms of MOUD, such as buprenorphine and Sublocade, the long-acting injectable medication form of buprenorphine; however, they are unable to access Act 80 grant funds to allow for other forms of MOUD due to legislative stipulations that limit the medication to naltrexone. To allow for better access to life-saving treatments, we are introducing legislation that would open Act 80 for county jails to utilize all FDA-approved medications for treatment of SUD. Our State Correctional Institutions offer all forms of MOUD for their inmates and have seen record levels of success in lives saved and decreased recidivism rates. It is time we provided the same aid to our county jails. Please join us in co-sponsoring this important legislation to support incarcerated Pennsylvanians struggling with an addiction. |
Introduced as HB1515