Opioid funds approved for treatment program at Richmond County Jail

ROCKINGHAM — Detainees in the Richmond County Jail will soon be able to receive addiction treatment while awaiting trial.

The Richmond County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday on April 7 approved a request to use funds from the county’s opioid settlement “to implement an evidence-based addiction treatment program” at the jail.

The request, for $41,215.97, was made by Social Services Director Robby Hall, on behalf of Sheriff Mark Gulledge. Hall said the allocation was recommended by the Drug Endangered Family Task Force.

(Disclosure: This writer is a non-voting media representative of the task force.)

“This program is believed to be a step in the right direction to assist those addicted to opioids and other substances move past their addiction,” Gulledge said in a statement to the RO on May 13.

The program will reportedly include medication-assisted treatment with at least one FDA-approved opioid antagonist, and use the Pay-Tel inmate tablets “through self-guided courses related to substance abuse that are available to inmates at no cost.”

“The quantity and diversity of courses available to inmates is being updated and expanded by Pay-Tel,” according to the sheriff’s office.

RCSO is partnering with Richmond County Health and Human Services and Southern Health Partners (RCSO’s medical service provider) for the program. RCSO will also receive “support and assistance” from the FirstHealth of the Carolinas’ Sandhills Opioid Response Consortium, DEFT and Trillium Health Resources (formerly Sandhills Center).

“The opioid epidemic facing our community, as well as communities across the state and nation, is an issue which I believe must be met head on,” Gulledge said. “This initiative is being put forward to assist those detained in the Richmond County Jail with opioid and substance use issues, while holding those individuals personally responsible for being active and compliant with program guidelines.”

(The RO will have more on the latest statistics in a later story.)

Hall told commissioners the program would bring the county in line with a ruling on the Americans with Disabilities Act, which protects those in jail who are being treated for opioid use disorder.

The U.S. Department of Justice released a document in April 2022 offering guidance on compliance with the ADA.

“People with OUD typically have a disability because they have a drug addiction that substantially limits one or more of their major life activities,” the document reads. “Drug addiction is considered a physical or mental impairment under the ADA.”

The use of prescribed medication for addiction is not considered illegal drug use if that person “uses the medication under the supervision of a licensed health care professional, including primary care or other non-specialty providers,” according to the DOJ.

Medication-assisted treatment includes “combining counseling and behavioral therapies with the use of FDA-approved medications” for those with substance abuse addictions. Those medications listed for opioid use disorder are methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone.

In January, the organization Disability Rights North Carolina published a letter to the sheriffs of the Tar Heel state.

“Adequate medical treatment in jail is recognized as a constitutional right under the 8th and/or 14th amendments,” the letter reads, adding that jails “cannot show ‘deliberate indifference’ to a serious medical need,” citing the 1976 court case Estelle v. Gamble.

“People with an OUD are overrepresented in the jail population and are at a 50 times greater risk of dying of an overdose within the first two weeks of release,” the letter continues.

A study from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, cited in the letter, indicates that “an estimated 24% to 36% of opioid-dependent adults cycle through our jails annually.”

“You can make a profound impact on the opioid crisis in your community by providing MOUD treatment which will help those in custody to stabilize and increases the likelihood they remain in treatment once released.”

Hall said the program at the local jail would allow treatment to begin for those incarcerated, and potentially offer referrals for treatment after release. He added that the program being considered is already being used by other counties.

Prior to the vote, Commissioner Andy Grooms asked a clarification question: “So…this has got to be paid for either way, by the opioid funds or taxpayer dollars?”

“Correct,” Hall replied. “One way or another, based on the ADA requirements …it would be a requirement to provide this service.”

While DEFT makes recommendations for allocating funds from the opioid settlement, county commissioners have the final determination on how the money is spent.

So far, commissioners have approved nearly $100,000 for Samaritan Colony. The board has also allocated $58,000 to create a cache of naloxone for use by first responders; and $50,497 for FirstHealth, which serves as the fiscal agent for the Sandhills Opioid Response Consortium Peer Support Program.

During the open forum portion of the meeting, Melissa Schoonover gave commissioners an update on the organization Steve’s Wings.

Steve’s Wings, founded by Schoonover in 2020, was recently given its 501c3 status.

Schnoolver said the organization is currently looking for a facility to provide all the services it plans to offer, helping not only those in active addiction, but also those in poverty and veterans.

Those planned services include: group therapy, including for families who have lost family members to overdose; meals and clothes for those who need them.

“We don’t actually sit behind a desk … we get out and do actual hands-on, we go into the worst areas that are drug-infested trying to make … an impact,” Schoonover said. “Because when they see us out there coming, they know what we’re there for.”

Both commissioners Robin Roberts and Jason Gainey testified to what Steve’s Wings has done over the past several years.

“I see you as being able to do … more with $10 than most organizations can do with $500 or $5,000,” Gainey said. “People stand up to help you because you know what it’s like and you’ve been there.”

Schoonover told commissioners that the organization is planning to hold its fourth annual Overdose Awareness Rally on Aug. 10 in the parking lot across from Hudson Brothers Deli and the downtown campus of Richmond Community College.

The deadline to have a lost loved one included on one of the banners is July 14.

Steve’s Wings is also planning a sobriety walk in downtown Rockingham on Sept. 21.

“Richmond County …we all know, is in a desperate need with the opioid issue,” Schoonover said. “As long as we keep trying to show those in active addiction, those needy families, even the veterans … If we show them that we truly do care, and we welcome them with open arms, we’ll make a bigger impact — and that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.”