Middlesex Sheriff's Office Gets $140,000 To Battle Opioid Epidemic

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MA—Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian on Monday thanked the Baker Administration for awarding the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office (MSO) a nearly $140,000 grant to continue ongoing efforts to address the opioid epidemic in the county, according to an announcement.

Governor Charlie Baker, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito and Executive Office of Public Safety and
Security Secretary Daniel Bennett announced the $139,647 award to the MSO from the Heroin and Opioid Crime Reduction Renewal Grant. This is the second consecutive year the Administration has awarded the grant to the MSO.

“I want to thank Gov. Baker and his administration for their continued efforts to implement and support initiatives aimed at stemming the tide of the opioid crisis,” said Sheriff Koutoujian in a statement. “This grant will assist our endeavors to help those individuals placed in our custody address their substance use disorders and reduce their likelihood to recidivate.”

Funds from this grant support the continuation of the MSO’s Medication Assisted Treatment And Directed Opioid Recovery (MATADOR) Program, a six-month, post-release initiative. MATADOR incorporates the use of an injectable form of Naltrexone (a non-habit forming, non-narcotic, long lasting medication which blocks the effects of opioids), combined with counseling and support from a patient navigator. The grant will also continue funding for two long-term treatment beds at Lowell House designated for program participants.

Through the first 20 months of the initiative, the MSO has seen a measured impact on recidivism, with less than 10 percent of total program participants having been convicted of a new crime.

In total, $2.3 million dollars was awarded statewide through the competitive grant program this cycle.

Press release submitted by the Middlesex County Sheriff's Office