MAT and LEAD program for the Catawba County Detention Facility

Catawba County will use this award to support its existing collaborative Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (L.E.A.D.) program and Medicated Assisted Treatment (M.A.T.) program located within the Catawba County Detention Facility (CCDF). Hickory, NC, located in the middle of Catawba County, was identified in the top 5 cities in the United States for opioid abuse rates in 2018. Given the scope of opiate abuse in Catawba, funds will be used county-wide to expand existing programs operated by Catawba Valley Healthcare (CVH) in partnership with Catawba County. Funding will be used to develop new law enforcement officer training specific to L.E.A.D. and to provide monthly Q&A sessions with clinical staff, as well as to address social determinants of health (SDOH) by providing financial assistance in the specific areas outlined by the World Health Organization, such as food scarcity, utilities, transportation, interpersonal safety and access to healthcare for participants engaged with the L.E.A.D. Case Manager. While both the L.E.A.D. and M.A.T. programs work at different intercept points of the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM), both programs will work to address each participant’s access to healthcare, safe living environments, ability to afford medications, access to food, transportation and personal safety, with the goal of improving these individuals’ treatment and recidivism outcomes and success in making critical changes in their lives.