From Revolving Door to Passageway: Treating Opioid Use Disorder Upon Incarceration and Aiding in the Recovery Journey With Warm Handoffs to Community Clinical Programs

There is a cycle, a cliché of a revolving door, that individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) fall into. It is a never-ending ebb that destroys their lives, their loved one’s lives, societal stability, and community cohesiveness, all while perpetuating stigma and criminalization of a chronic disease.

This session will describe an innovative approach that replaces the revolving door with an open door that identifies and welcomes the incarcerated, who often who are withdrawing from opioids, into care and treatment for their use disorder(s). While incarcerated, patients receive medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and education on the disease of addiction and are supported with harm reduction-focused ideas. Upon release, patients are directly handed off to a local clinical care team who will continue their treatment, offering wrap-around services and support. The presentation will lay out an approach that focuses on supportive transitions of care. Presenters will describe touch points for intervention where patients are met then subsequently treated and supported. The key is bridging clinical care teams with corrections, not viewing them as separate entities. Recidivism data and retention rates will be discussed, showing how this innovative model can be applied throughout other communities and correctional institutions.