| By Big Radio News Staff |
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul announces funding that will help Rock County jail screen its inmates for opioid and fentanyl addiction and pay for a methadone treatment program in the jail.
Rock County jail inmate treatment coordinator Verinice Sandoval says this is the county’s first, dedicated methadone treatment program at the jail. She says the $328,000 program could steer inmates toward recovery faster.
Sandoval says about 30 percent Rock County Jail inmates have opioid addiction.
Sandoval says the jail now will be able to to a more comprehensive job screening jail inmates for opioid addiction and other drug dependency. The jail for the first time will shape part of an addiction recovery program around methadone treatment.
It means inmates who are addicted to opioids like fentanyl will get quicker access to methadone treatments or other drug addiction recovery services, shortly after they’re booked into jail.
Methadone is a narcotic that’s used in opioid addiction treatment to help people avoid painful withdrawal symptoms. Drug treatment experts have used methadone programs for decades, saying the drug therapy makes it less likely the person in treatment will continue to seek opioids.
Kaul toured the state Tuesday to tout Rock County and 11 other local governments who were awarded the special funding by the Attorney General’s office. The money comes from cash from a federal court settlement with opioid drug makers that was awarded to states.
