Page County Jail MAT Enhancement (JMATE)

The applicaqnt agency is the County of Page, Page County Sheriff's Office, located in rural Virginia community of less than 100,000.00.  Page County is a rural epicenter for substance misuse in Virginia.  Crime is outpacing limited local resources, particularly due to high rates of non-violent, drug and alcohol offenses.  In 2019, Page County was among one of the highest-ranking rural areas in Virginia in drug overdose mortality rates.  Page County had a mortality rate of 25.5 per 100,000 (pop. ages 15-64), which was higher than the state rate (24.0) average. 

Methamphetamines, marijuana, synthetic opioids, stimulants and other pain medications are most used across the county (Shenandoah Memorial Hospital 2019).  In Virginia, about 19.8 percent of the jailed population had a known or suspected mental illness (7,852 people).  Those with co-occuring disorders made up 49.9 percent of the mentally ill population in jails (VCB, 2018).  Chronic substance abuse issues in Page County are magnified by the overwhelming lack of access to mental health and addiction recovery services.

The proposed JMATE program will expand its current evidence-based medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program by adding comprehensive treatment and recovery support services.  The enhancement funds would support the hiring of two dedicated substance use treatment staff, a Re-Entry Case Manager (RCM) and a Substance Use Disorder Therapist (SUDT).  These positions will allow for a more timely response to the treatment needs of potential participants.  Given the increasing pattern of drug abuse in Page County, referrals to JMATE are expected to exceed 50 eligible high-risk/high-need participants in the first year.  Current trends indicate most referrals will be for probation violations on possession of Schedule I or II substances or prescription drugs as well as initial drug possession charges.  The JMATE Program will provide: 24-hour Emergency/Crisis intervention, Case Management, Indivdual/Group Therapy, Peer support, access to inpatient detoxification and residential treatment centers, transitional housing, Intensive Outpatient Program, trauma informed services, and access to medically assisted treatment (MAT) induction and follow-up care through a telehealth system.  The enhanced JMATE Program will help to reduce the substantial jail overcrowding and high arrest rates in Page County.