People continue to die from drug overdoses in Los Angeles County jails — yet the county’s Department of Health Services has scaled back the accessibility of opioid addiction treatment for people behind bars, writes CalMatters’ Cayla Mihalovich.
In a Sept. 16 memo obtained by CalMatters, Chief Medical Officer Sean Henderson said that Correctional Health Services will take “a pause on primary care in ordering buprenorphine,” a medication that curbs cravings and prevents overdoses. The new guidance also directs prioritizing people who first enter the jail system for treatment, and placing everyone else who wants medication on a waitlist. As of Oct. 31, over 800 people were on the waitlist.
Injectable buprenorphine costs about $1,600 per shot, with nearly 40,000 doses of buprenorphine administered in L.A. County jails since July 2022. The county sets aside about $25 million a year for the treatment program. Its Department of Health Services said the new rules — which restrict access to buprenorphine — were made “to help maximize the reach of (the) program.” The statement did not say how making it harder or having patients wait longer to access buprenorphine would positively affect the reach of the program…