Schuylkill will compete with three other counties for a state grant of up to $300,000 to fund an anti-opiate medication program for prison inmates.

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency's Office of Criminal Justice System Improvements will choose four counties to receive a total of $1.25 million to run the Medically Assisted Treatment program for one year.The pilot program would be administered by the Clinical Outcomes Group Inc. of Pottsville, which will apply for the grant by June 8 and hopes to have the program start by July 1.The county prison board on Thursday agreed to provide a letter of support, pending the approval of county solicitor Al Marshall, for the application.The program involves shots of a drug called Vivitrol, which blocks the effects of opiates, thus eliminating the craving, for 28 days after each shot.Inmates who qualify would start counseling before getting the first shot, while still in prison.Months of counseling and the spaced shots of Vivitrol, an extended-release form of naltrexone, work hand-in-hand, said Dr. John Stefovic of Ashland, who would administer the shots."You need time to be able to change the behavior, time to change the person," he said. "All the shots are going to to do is block down the receptors in the brain. There's no possible way this person can get intoxicated, so there's no reason to continue to use, hopefully."Stefovic would make sure the drug would be appropriate for each inmate before he or she starts the program."It sounds like a good initiative, it really does," said Commissioners Chairman Frank J. Staudenmeier.Opiate addiction "is a major problem that we have. To be able to address that in-house, to be able to help people who are going to be transitioning out into the community, that's a huge undertaking," said Commissioner George F. Halcovage Jr.He said that "being able to treat them on the inside to prepare them for the outside," would help reduce repeat incarcerations.Shots after releaseClinical Outcomes has yet to determine how the shots would be scheduled. They could be given twice while an inmate is jailed, and once after release, or once while jailed and twice or more after release.Any liability stemming from the program would rest with Clinical Outcomes, said Warden Eugene Berdanier.County officials and Clinical Outcomes will also discuss the program with PrimeCare Medical, the company that provides inmates' medical care.A PrimeCare representative attended the meeting Wednesday, and spoke with COGI afterward.The grant money would be enough to run the program for one year, said Jennifer Melochick, director of programs for Clinical Outcomes. After that, the organization hopes positive results would bring state funding for its continuation.Melochick said the Medically Assisted Treatment program is already in place in state prisons, but the three trio of state agencies behind the funding want to include county jails on a trial basis, starting with four selected for the pilot program.The funding agencies are the Pennsylvania Commission of Crime and Delinquency, the Department of Human Services, and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.President Judge William E. Baldwin asked if it would be voluntary for inmates."Yes," Melochick said.65 percent addictedShe said that about 65 percent of prison inmates are addicted to opiates: heroin, oxycodone and other narcotics.That translates into about 200 current Schuylkill County inmates, who can stay clean in prison but face temptation when they are back out on the streets. The first 30 days after release is crucial in terms of relapsing or successfully breaking addiction, she said."They'll need to face that and deal with it when they're released," she said.Vivitrol is not a narcotic and not addictive, Melochick said.Clinical Outcomes Executive Director Alicia Fleischut said the state prison system is willing to share its procedures and templates for the program with counties.The agency would also help newly-released inmates get insurance to cover the cost of the medication so it can be continued."Most of the studies are using Vivitrol for about eight months post-release, and they're seeing a lot of success, and people are not returning to heroin use," she said.Carbon County officials also announced this week that they are applying the grant. ABOUT VIVITROLWhat it is: An extended-release formulation of naltrexone that blocks the effects of opioids such as heroin for 28 days.It is used to prevent relapse following detoxification. It can also be used to treat alcohol addiction.It is non-addictive, non-narcotic, and non-pleasure-producing.What it'S not: Vivitrol is not an opioid, nor is it a substitute for opioids. Vivitrol is not a controlled substance, and may administered by any licensed healthcare professional.How it's used: People must be opioid free for at least seven days before getting the Vivitrol shot in order to avoid severe opioid withdrawal.