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Ex-jail inmates staying off drugs with breakthrough non-narcotic treatment
A once-a-month injection that curbs narcotic cravings is helping newly released inmates keep off drugs and avoid return trips to jail.
“My biggest downfall is trying to stay off heroin,” said Brandon, describing his 10 years of narcotics addiction. “I always seem to go back to it. I’ve never been able to get the right tools to stay clean.”
But after pleading guilty to a felony DUI in 2016, the Davis County man was accepted into a drug court program.
The 31-year-old receives an injection of Vivitrol every four weeks that he says allows him to shrug off thoughts of heroin, excel at work and mend damaged relationships.
“When I found out about Vivitrol I had such a sense of relief,” Brandon said. “It keeps my mind occupied and not on the urge to use. I can focus on getting myself better.”
Brandon is one of dozens of released criminal offenders who have been receiving Vivitrol over the past year after stints in the Davis, Weber and Salt Lake County jails.
It’s part of a local, state and federal effort to attack surging opioid drug addiction and help save former inmates from going back behind bars.
Despite its successes, the Vivitrol program barely dents the substance abuse wave washing over Utah.
An estimated 134,000 people in Utah are eligible for assisted drug abuse treatment, but government agencies can afford to serve only about 15,000, according to data from the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
That’s a conservative estimate of the need and does not even include the potential demand for addiction treatment for people with private insurance, said division spokesman Jeff Marrott.
The state budgeted $66.3 million to fund local substance abuse programs around Utah in fiscal year 2016, Marrott said. That was up from $57.9 million in fiscal 2015, according to the division’s annual reports.
“That seems like a lot of money, but the need is so great, it’s not enough,” Marrott said.
Widespread adoption of Vivitrol is also hindered by the drug’s high cost, about $1,400 per injection.
Earlier generations of addiction withdrawal drugs are much cheaper, such as methadone, about $20 a month, and Suboxone, $200, but those medicines are narcotics-based and prone to be abused..
PILOT PROGRAMS IN NORTHERN UTAH JAILS
In local jails, inmates with drug abuse histories are evaluated for post-release treatment potential.
Since mid-2016, 10 to 15 Davis County Jail inmates have graduated to Vivitrol, said Nancy Moss, who coordinates medication-assisted treatment for Davis Behavioral Health. The group still distributes methadone and Suboxone because they can be effective and their regular administration help caregivers keep close tabs on the recovering addicts.
“We thought (Vivitrol) might be a magic bullet, but it really appears it works best when they are just released from jail, to save lives and help them become stabilized and get into treatment,” Moss said.
Vivitrol is probably the best way to treat opioid addiction recovery, said Brandon Hatch, Davis Behavioral Health CEO.
“We’re about to step it up a little bit, because it’s such a big deal,” he said.
Kay Haw, the Weber County Jail’s health services coordinator, said that each month, up to half a dozen inmates receive Vivitrol injections when they are being released.
“It’s working very well,” Haw said.
Cont -
http://www.standard.net/Police-Fire...h-Davis-Salt-Lake-Vivitrol-methadone-Suboxone
A once-a-month injection that curbs narcotic cravings is helping newly released inmates keep off drugs and avoid return trips to jail.
“My biggest downfall is trying to stay off heroin,” said Brandon, describing his 10 years of narcotics addiction. “I always seem to go back to it. I’ve never been able to get the right tools to stay clean.”
But after pleading guilty to a felony DUI in 2016, the Davis County man was accepted into a drug court program.
The 31-year-old receives an injection of Vivitrol every four weeks that he says allows him to shrug off thoughts of heroin, excel at work and mend damaged relationships.
“When I found out about Vivitrol I had such a sense of relief,” Brandon said. “It keeps my mind occupied and not on the urge to use. I can focus on getting myself better.”
Brandon is one of dozens of released criminal offenders who have been receiving Vivitrol over the past year after stints in the Davis, Weber and Salt Lake County jails.
It’s part of a local, state and federal effort to attack surging opioid drug addiction and help save former inmates from going back behind bars.
Despite its successes, the Vivitrol program barely dents the substance abuse wave washing over Utah.
An estimated 134,000 people in Utah are eligible for assisted drug abuse treatment, but government agencies can afford to serve only about 15,000, according to data from the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
That’s a conservative estimate of the need and does not even include the potential demand for addiction treatment for people with private insurance, said division spokesman Jeff Marrott.
The state budgeted $66.3 million to fund local substance abuse programs around Utah in fiscal year 2016, Marrott said. That was up from $57.9 million in fiscal 2015, according to the division’s annual reports.
“That seems like a lot of money, but the need is so great, it’s not enough,” Marrott said.
Widespread adoption of Vivitrol is also hindered by the drug’s high cost, about $1,400 per injection.
Earlier generations of addiction withdrawal drugs are much cheaper, such as methadone, about $20 a month, and Suboxone, $200, but those medicines are narcotics-based and prone to be abused..
PILOT PROGRAMS IN NORTHERN UTAH JAILS
In local jails, inmates with drug abuse histories are evaluated for post-release treatment potential.
Since mid-2016, 10 to 15 Davis County Jail inmates have graduated to Vivitrol, said Nancy Moss, who coordinates medication-assisted treatment for Davis Behavioral Health. The group still distributes methadone and Suboxone because they can be effective and their regular administration help caregivers keep close tabs on the recovering addicts.
“We thought (Vivitrol) might be a magic bullet, but it really appears it works best when they are just released from jail, to save lives and help them become stabilized and get into treatment,” Moss said.
Vivitrol is probably the best way to treat opioid addiction recovery, said Brandon Hatch, Davis Behavioral Health CEO.
“We’re about to step it up a little bit, because it’s such a big deal,” he said.
Kay Haw, the Weber County Jail’s health services coordinator, said that each month, up to half a dozen inmates receive Vivitrol injections when they are being released.
“It’s working very well,” Haw said.
Cont -
http://www.standard.net/Police-Fire...h-Davis-Salt-Lake-Vivitrol-methadone-Suboxone
