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Expanded initiative prioritizes treatment for people suffering from drug addiction – Daily Montanan

['Keith Schubert', 'More From Author', '- February']

Date: 2022-02-01 00:00:00

Montanans suffering from substance use disorders can now seek treatment through a new state initiative at the Cascade County and Lewis and Clark County sheriffs’ offices without fear of being criminalized if they meet certain conditions outlined by the state.

“This is a paradigm shift. We have done things one way for a long time: we have investigated,” said Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton at a press conference Tuesday. “Now we’re saying, ‘Hey, you can come in, you can turn yourself in,’ and they can get help without going into the legal system.”

Dutton was joined Tuesday by Gov. Greg Gianforte, Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Adam Meier and Todd Wilson of the Helena Indian Alliance in announcing the state’s expansion of Angel Initiative.

Through the program, which is partially funded by the Gianforte Family Foundation, people struggling with a substance use disorder can go into participating law enforcement offices and be connected with a local treatment program. And participants will also not be criminally charged for any drugs or paraphernalia they turn over that amounts to “personal use.”

Both Dutton and Gianforte acknowledged the hurdle of asking people to trust the police will not punish them when using the program. “It’s going to take courage on the part of the individual. But we can’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome. So this is a new tool that’s available to help people contribute,” Gianforte said at the press conference.

DPHHS estimates around 90,000 Montanans have a substance use disorder, with more than 90% not receiving treatment. From January through September 2021, the state averaged 69 opioid overdose calls per month. And last summer, the state recorded some of the highest opioid overdose monthly call volumes in the last three years, peaking at 86 calls in July.

The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office is the second law enforcement agency to be actively participating in the initiative. A pilot version of the program was launched in Cascade County this past November. Gianforte said so far, nearly 20 sheriff’s offices and 10 treatment providers in 33 counties have committed to partnering sometime in the future.

Citing privacy laws, Meier did not say how many volunteers sought out the program in Cascade County. But in Kentucky, where Meier oversaw the implementation of a nearly identical program in 2016, 198 people have used the program as of last February.

Mary Windecker, director of the nonprofit Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana, who worked with the state to set up the program, said that the initiative needs buy-in from all Montana counties.

“The difficulty will be getting law enforcement across the state to participate,” she said. “It’s really important that all of the counties have a safe harbor with some law enforcement agency to allow these people to get access to care without being punitive,” she said.

Participating law enforcement agencies will use a designated hotline that connects them with a mental health professional to assess the appropriate level of care for each individual and connect them with the proper resources.

While the state struggles with staffing its mental health and addiction centers, Meier said there would be no cap on who can participate in the program. At the same time, a press release from the Governor’s Office said, “a placement for treatment is not guaranteed, and the participant may be placed on a waitlist.”

To be eligible for the program, a volunteer cannot have an outstanding arrest warrant or be a registered sex offender in any state. And if the volunteer is believed to be dangerous to staff, they will be disqualified.

“[Substance use disorders] affect everyone … we face a crisis that has taken our communities by storm. And we need to think outside the box we’re addressing when it comes to implementing strategies to combat the situation,” Wilson said on Tuesday. “The Angel Initiative is a program that does just that; it offers a solution from a different perspective.”

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