DOC nabs opioid abatement funding

The Virginia Department of Corrections has been named a recipient of the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority Funding to the Agencies of the Commonwealth.

The fepartment will receive more than $1.2 million to fund three projects in the upcoming year aimed at addressing Substance Use Disorder (SUD).

The first project will fund six contracted, specialized clinical social workers to support opioid-use disorder therapies at six VADOC facilities that operate Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) programs. The second is a pilot program to evaluate the effectiveness of long-acting injectable opioid agonists in the continued care of inmates with diagnosed opioid use disorders, which will be overseen by the VADOC’s medical director. The third project is the creation of a video that provides SUD education to all inmates entering VADOC custody. The video will focus on addiction as a chronic, yet treatable illness and will highlight the program options that are available to inmates within the VADOC.

The approved projects were selected through a competitive application review process. The awards are the first allocation of OAA funds for state agencies since Virginia received its first set of national

See DOC, Page 5