DuPage Sheriff's Office To Offer Vivitrol To Inmates

DUPAGE COUNTY, IL — The DuPage County Sheriff's Office has announced a new program to help inmates who have detoxed from opioids. Effective immediately, inmates who meet specific criteria will have voluntary access to Vivitrol, a drug used to help mitigate opioid dependence.

According to a press release from the DuPage County Sheriff's Office, he program comes as the result of a partnership between the DuPage County Health Department and the sheriff’s office that seeks to address "the unmet behavioral health needs of individuals across [DuPage County]." In order to get take part in the Vivitrol program, inmates must request it via a defense attorney and have the request approved by whichever judge is in charge of their case.

In a statement, DuPage County Health Department Executive Director Karen Ayala said, "These services, which will be administered by Health Department counselors, prescribers and nurses, provide the first step on the pathway to recovery that includes ongoing treatment for those transitioning to the community."

Those inmates who are approved for the Vivitrol program will have a medical and substance use evaluation before being given the drug by injection prior to their release. Inmates will be able to continue monthly Vivitrol treatment and be given assistance with housing, health insurance, counseling, and other needs.

DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement, "Simply put, heroin users need help if they are to successfully quit using. When accompanied with counseling, this program allows us to provide that help by giving users an additional tool at their disposal that will assist them in the prevention of relapsing into opioid dependency."

DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick said, "We now have another prong to a wholistic approach to fighting drug addiction in DuPage County. We have a great opportunity to significantly improve people’s lives during the incarceration process, so when they get out, they have the best chance to be successful, gain employment and lead drug-free and crime-free lives."

Funding for DuPage County's Vivitrol program comes from a $1.16 million dollar million Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-Based Program grant that was awarded to the DuPage County Health Department by the Bureau of Justice Assistance in an effort to combat the county's mounting opioid use and overdose problem.