EVERETT – The Snohomish County Jail has launched a pilot program for medication-assisted detox for inmates with heroin or other opioid addictions.

The medical unit in the jail recently had two Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners and one physician trained in Medication-Assisted Treatment. This training offered by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration allows for each provider to be eligible for a prescription waiver for medical withdrawal management for up to 30 patients at a time.

Suboxone is an FDA approved medication for assisted detox of people with heroin or other opioid addiction. Suboxone administration rapidly decreases opioid withdrawal symptoms and will allow inmates to move into general housing while they go through assisted detox. Prior to medication-assisted detox, an inmate withdrawing from heroin or other opioids was housed in the jail’s medical unit for a minimum of three days and their only option was a “hard” withdrawal.

The goal of the new medication-assisted detox program is to give inmates a better chance at successfully getting through withdrawal and getting clean, so they have less of a chance of relapsing once they are released.

“Implementing medication-assisted detox means we can start to close the revolving door for inmates who keep landing in jail for committing crimes to feed their addiction,” Sheriff Ty Trenary said.

In a recent one-week period 140 out of 333 inmates booked into the jail were placed on opioid/heroin withdrawal watch.

Karin Heusted, ARNP, said, “I am looking forward to the opportunity to connect with those who have lost hope and be able to offer them a second chance at battling addiction.”