Medication for opioid use disorder can save lives. But fewer than half of jails surveyed across the country provide it, a new study found .
A National Institutes of Health study published Tuesday surveyed 1,028 jails across the country and found about 44% offered any form of medication for opioid use disorder. Just 12.8% of the jails made medication available to anyone struggling with the disorder.
A Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and USA TODAY Network Ohio investigation published in June found at least 70 deaths in Ohio jails since January 2020 involved drug and or alcohol abuse. Nationally, 65% of people in jails have substance abuse issues.
Though more than two-thirds of Ohio jails provide medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, the investigation found that not everyone incarcerated in Ohio jails received the treatment.
Maggie Copeland, 29, told Richland County deputies that she would soon experience withdrawal when she was booked in 2022. Copeland went days without the drugs she needed and died six days after she arrived at the jail.