“You can turn people's lives around, help them to feel self-worth, by showing them human dignity, and still holding them accountable.” “We can have a profound impact on people in our custody by treating them with dignity and respect,” he said. Reese in 2018 joined regional health and justice officials for a summit on the opioid epidemic, and publicly committed his jails to being places where change could begin. “There was a shift that allowed us to move forward.” He said, ‘Let’s do it! What do we have to do to make it happen?” Browne said. “The new sheriff was really instrumental in being supportive of this. Public Health has for years encouraged the Sheriff’s Office to consider distributing naloxone, and that conversation got a boost after Mike Reese took office in 2016. By providing naloxone on release, we’re making sure people have the tools to save their own lives.” “We want to make sure people have the tools not to die when our brains are telling us to do things that don’t make sense. Your brain is telling you not to be sick anymore,” said Erin Browne, manager of the County’s syringe exchange program. “When you have a substance use disorder, your brain doesn’t do the things that seem logical. Inmates know the risk of overdose increases when their tolerance drops - nurses and counselors in the jail make a point to communicate the risk before release - but addiction isn’t rational. That’s because withdrawal symptoms from a substance abuse disorder can begin within just a few hours of stopping use, causing an individual’s tolerance to previous levels of the drug to plummet, and setting them up for an overdose once they leave the jail. And 17 percent of those overdoses occurred shortly after people were released from jail or prison. Since launching the distribution program in July 2013, more than 4,000 overdoses have been reversed with naloxone. Last year alone the programs trained more than 1,000 people on how to administer the drug when someone is experiencing an overdose. Multnomah County’s syringe exchange program, and in partnership with Outside In, is the region’s largest provider of free naloxone to people who use opioids. “The best outcome is when we seize that opportunity to potentially save a life, but also, to connect people to treatment and end the cycle of addiction and incarceration,” said Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury. The Sheriff has also begun work on peer support and how to expand drug treatment in jail. The partnership focuses on initiatives to treat addiction and underlying mental health conditions among people who cycle through Multnomah County jails. We believe in a continuum of care that connects people to resources.” “Our goal in public safety is to support the rehabilitation of adults in custody. “We’re trying to save lives,” said Sheriff Mike Reese. The distribution is part of a broader partnership with Multnomah County’s Public Health and Corrections Health divisions to reduce overdose deaths and curb recidivism by treating addiction as a chronic illness rather than penalizing addiction as a criminal act. Michael Seale have partnered to treat addiction in jail. Sheriff Mike Reese, right, and Corrections Health Director Dr.
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