Few U.S. Jails Offer Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

TUESDAY, Sept. 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Few U.S. jails offer medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), according to a study published online Sept. 24 in JAMA Network Open.

Elizabeth Flanagan Balawajder, M.P.H., from NORC at the University of Chicago, and colleagues examined the prevalence of MOUD in U.S. jails and the association of jail- and county-level factors with MOUD prevalence using a nationally representative cross-sectional survey querying 1,028 jails from June 2022 to April 2023 on their provision of substance use disorder treatment.

The researchers found that fewer than half of the jails (43.8 percent) offered MOUD to at least some individuals and only 12.8 percent of jails offered MOUD to anyone with an OUD. The likelihood of offering MOUD was higher for jails located in counties with lower social volume ability (adjusted odds ratio per 1-percentile increase in social vulnerability, 0.28) and shorter mean distances to the nearest facility providing MOUD (adjusted odds ratio per 1-standard deviation increase in mean drive time above the mean, 0.80).

“In this national survey study, relatively few jails indicated offering MOUD, the frontline treatment for OUD,” the authors write. “Increasing resources for health care services in jails and expanding MOUD availability in communities are likely necessary first steps given that our data highlight the importance of the community context surrounding the jail.”

Two authors disclosed involvement in expert witness work for opioid-related litigation.

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