Offer better care

I read with interest the recent article on expected expanded accessibility of medical records for those in the prison system (“Nonprofit wins settlement on New Mexico prison inmates’ health records,” Dec. 26). Transparency is a vital first step toward accountability, which can be leveraged to align prisoners’ care with the accepted standard of care — particularly as it relates to the care of people with substance-use disorders.

Few prisons in New Mexico are following national guidelines on treating substance-use disorders, despite calls for this by health care professionals, including the American College of Physicians and the American Medical Association. National guidelines include offering first-line treatments of buprenorphine or methadone to patients with opioid-use disorder, naltrexone or acamprosate for patients with alcohol-use disorder, bupropion and naltrexone for methamphetamine-use disorder, and the naltrexone shot (Vivitrol) for those with opioid-use disorder who do not want buprenorphine or methadone. Prisoners should also receive connections for continued access to care upon release from prison. Unfortunately, New Mexico is not doing this right now — which is akin to not providing chemotherapy to people with cancer or insulin to people with diabetes.

I urge the Corrections Department to do the right thing by requiring evidence-based substance-use-disorder treatment in prisons. But if the state’s leadership chooses not to, then for families and advocates to use public records to ensure the medical care provided in prison reflects national guidelines.

Dr. Eileen Barrett, M.P.H. Albuquerque