ECSD awarded $2.1 million in federal grants to help in battle against opioids

MIDDLETON – The Essex County Sheriff’s Department has been awarded $2.1 million in federal grants aimed at combatting opioid addiction through pre- and post-release supports, Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger announced.

The largest grant comes from the U.S. Department of Justice Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP). The Department was awarded $1.2 million to expand its Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program beyond the walls of the jail to be able to continue treatment and supports for incarcerated persons when they are released into the community.

The Department also received $900,000 from the Justice Department for a partnership program between the Sheriff’s Office, Roca and UTEC to create a comprehensive pre- and post-release program for 200 to 250 young people between the ages of 18 and 24 with ongoing substance abuse issues who are at high risk for recidivism.

“Our job and our mission are to help those who come to us find a path to a more productive and successful life as a citizen. Far too often, we see people who cannot find the treatment and supports they need on the outside to maintain their progress and they end up back in our facilities,” Sheriff Coppinger said. “These two grant programs help us focus on their needs when they come to us and allow us to continue to invest in their success when they leave us through extensive community supports in case management, treatment, behavior and case management.”

About the grants:

• $1.2 million for ECSD’s Essex Medicated Assisted Treatment Recovery Project for pre- and post-release services for 3,000 inmates. The program will provide Naloxone, behavioral supports, and both inside the facility and when they return to the community. The program also provides transitional housing and peer recovery supports for up to 825 inmates.
• $900,000 for ECSD’s Improving Re-entry for Adults with Substance Use Disorders to offer at-risk young people through pre- and post-release supports in Medication Assisted Treatment and health and behavioral supports. While incarcerated, those selected will be eligible for a variety of programming dealing with violence, drug and alcohol abuse, medication assisted treatment, parenting and pre-trial diversion through our CASE unit. In addition, they will receive intensive case management and one-on-one and group training through both Roca and UTEC. As they prepare for re-entry, transition plans with individual goals and services will be developed for these at-risk youth. They will be enrolled in an intensive, long-term behavior change program in the community and will receive intensive case management and targeted behavioral health care including supports in life skills, parenting, employment and educational support.
• The Department also received $250,000 to expand ECSD’s current Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) program from the federal Bureau of Justice. This expansion includes bringing in a PREA Mental Health Clinician to prevent, detect and respond to sexual abuse and harassment in corrections facilities, more specialized training for officers, and provides for cameras in blind spots to enhance inmate safety.

These three grants are in addition to a $4 million grant awarded in July by the U.S. Department of Labor for the Department’s Re-Entry Vocational Training Center. This program will help incarcerated persons find wage-sustaining employment while receiving post-release comprehensive rehabilitative services. The Center serves 550 participants from the Middleton House of Correction, the Essex County Pre-release and Re-entry Center in Lawrence and the Women in Transition Program in Salisbury. The program offers pre-release participants training in asbestos removal, C-Tech, and hardscaping as well as the opportunity to take both credit and noncredit courses at Northern Essex Community College.