Addiction Recovery Program in McMinnville Assists Inmates

MCMINNVILLE, Ore. - Aug. 8, 2018 - PRLog -- An addiction recovery program at the Yamhill County Jail in McMinnville, Oregon recently started a pilot program to assist inmates struggling with substance use disorders.

The Yamhill County Correctional Facility (YCCF) has been co-running a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program in partnership with the Willamette Valley Comprehensive Treatment Center after acquiring approval from the Oregon Health Authority.

The program was started by Sheriff Tim Svenson and Captain Richard Geist of the YCCF on May 1.

"Sheriff Svenson and I were attending the Opioid Summit in McMinnville, Oregon in November of 2016," Geist said. "We were speaking with Dr. John McIlveen from the Oregon Health Authority. We explained to him that we are seeing more and more of an increase of heroin addiction in Yamhill County and an increase of individuals coming into the jail who are going through opiate withdrawals while in the jail."

Geist said that McIlveen offered to assist the Sheriff's Office gain funding to implement MAT for the addiction recovery program in the jail.

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is in charge of approving all substance abuse treatment grants as well as authorizing health plans or licenses and certificates in the state of Oregon.

The OHA runs MAT-approved programs under Chapter 45, which is a clause in the legislature that allows their organization the choices to license, create and approve substance abuse treatment programs throughout the state.

https://www.drugaddictionnow.com/2018/08/08/addiction-rec...