Inside Out Project

Jackson County, North Carolina seeks to implement a comprehensive program designed to positively impact the overdose crisis and community-wide effects of illicit opioids, stimulants, and other substances. This program will expand evidence-based substance use disorder treatment, medication assisted treatment (MAT), within the Jackson County Jail and subsequently increase access to health, behavioral health, housing, and other community resources.  The MAT Services will be provided in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies.  Additionally, by providing targeted connectivity to community resources, Project Inside Out will meet participants where they are when they are ready. The confines of the detention center can be a place where the journey to sobriety can finally begin. The uniqueness of this program couples MAT services and aggressive in-reach of community resources. -Community Resources come to individuals inside the jail-prior to release.  
 
In addition to implementation of the Certified Peer Support Services operating in tangent with the MAT program, Project Inside Out will develop a comprehensive custodial care plan and infrastructure, which will provide treatment for individuals while in custody and ensuring continuation beyond release. The program will improve the quality of life of participants while on the inside (mitigating self-harm, potential suicide) and utilize technology to accomplish frequent Peer Support; as well as the outside (connectivity and placement within service delivery systems) to reduce homelessness and ensure post-release continuum of care for health and behavioral health services. It will establish a research/evaluation component to evaluate the project to provide additional input to improve the body of knowledge regarding SUD and evidence-based practices for law enforcement and detention programs. And, the program will create a Post Release Overdose Prevention component (PROP) which will convene stakeholder meetings and input/gather and analyze data regarding post-release overdoses as well as overall strategies for post-release SUD treatment.  Additionally, the PROP group will develop effective mitigation strategies to include actionable items to prevent post-release overdoses and more effectively serve returning citizens.