County prison helps more than 40 inmates kick opioids
The George W. Hill Correctional Facility had more than 40 inmates detox through the Vivitrol program last year, even in the midst of a pandemic.
Last week, Facility Administrator David Byrne sent Kevin Madden, the Delaware County councilman who serves as chair to the county Jail Oversight Board, a letter noting that 41 individuals successfully completed the MedicationAssisted Treatment program. Vivitrol is used to help those with substance abuse, and in particular opioid dependency, to gain recovery.
“Despite the ongoing obstacles caused by COVID-19, we have been able to carry out many of the programs that help those in our care on a daily basis,” Byrne wrote.
Officials from the GEO Group Inc., the prison operator, added, “We developed the Vivitrol treatment program with substantial research and support from subject matter experts. They advised our team on the best approach for George W. Hill to provide the most effective drug treatment and educational services for those fighting opioid addiction in a very challenging environment. It took more than a year and many manpower hours to establish the successful program and to provide it in a safe environment for those seeking treatment and for those providing the care. We are proud that we are making a difference in people’s lives and helping the community with its fight against opioid addiction.”
The program consists of three injections over 90 days and 20 hours of weekly education for each participant, including both group and individual counseling.
“This has not been an easy task due to COVID-19 safety restrictions implemented in the facilit y, courts releasing individuals early before they could complete the program, a slower court system in reference to sentencing, and many others who did not qualify because they were in the facility for a short time,” the administrator wrote.
In order to participate, individuals must express a desire to do so.
“Even during COVID-19, we did everything we could to provide outreach to enroll individuals,” Byrne wrote.
That included conducting substance use questionnaires during initial case management sessions to gauge both drug use history and treatment interest; connecting with prisoners experiencing detox once entering the facility; identifying candidates in the alcohol and drug education programs; receiving referrals from probation; and reviewing system data for individuals with drugrelated crimes or histories of detox.
“It is a substantial undertaking that requires many dedicated staff hours prior to an individual’s entry into the program,” Byrne said. “The pandemic did not stop our efforts.”
He added that those endeavors continue.
“We are continuing our efforts in 2021 by providing even more support through the MAT program,” Byrne said. “We’re reviewing creative options to provide more education such as virtual treatment meetings, expanding our continued treatment for postrelease data, and analyzing Physical Health Behavior State scores to determine the stage of change for each individual in the MAT program.”
While the 1,800-person county prison is operated by GEO Group Inc., county officials have been taking moves to fulfill campaign promises to deprivatize the prison. In December, County Council unanimously approved a $385,000 contract with CGL Companies to oversee the transition from being privately owned to county control.
At the time, Madden said, “This is a major milestone for the county. We have historically thought of the county jail as part of the criminal justice system, but this transition represents a new mindset that a county jail is also an important and integral part of the county services to the community, and an investment in the health safety and vitality of our community. That’s a profound shift in how we thought about it.”
Throughout the COVID crisis, the county prison has had some of the lowest cases in prison settings.
Based on figures as of Dec. 22, George W. Hill showed the second lowest COVID-19 impacts of Pennsylvania county prisons with inmate populations over 1,000. Out of a 1,300 population, 12.5 percent tested positive through the pandemic with no deaths.
As of Jan. 6, Byrne said there were no COVID-positive inmates at the prison and none being held in the COVID quarantine.