Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Sen. Ennis & Sen. Hansen & Sen. Lockman & Sen. Pettyjohn

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

150th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 10

DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION TO FURTHER PROVIDE MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT TO AN EXPANDED POPULATION OF JUSTICE-INVOLVED INDIVIDUALS.

WHEREAS, people in the criminal justice system are disproportionately affected by opioid use disorder; and

WHEREAS, medication assisted treatment is the most effective therapy for opioid use disorder; and

WHEREAS, the decision regarding the correct medication to take for opioid use disorder should be made jointly by the prescriber and the patient; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Correction has begun offering all forms of medications to some individuals in its custody.

NOW THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 150 ^th General Assembly of the State of Delaware that all forms of FDA-approved medication for the treatment of opioid use disorder should be made available to all persons with opioid use disorder in any Delaware correctional facility.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any person coming into the custody of the Department of Correction on Medication Assisted Treatment should continue to receive his or her medication during their incarceration.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that anyone coming into the Department of Correction using illicit opiates and in need of Medication Assisted Treatment should be assessed and provided treatment as is clinically indicated.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Correction should use funds provided by the General Assembly to expand Medication Assisted Treatment services and collect baseline data of justice-involved individuals with opioid use disorder.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Correction should develop a strategic plan, internal polices, and procedures to adequately provide all of the forms of medication in all facilities by 2021.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Correction’s plan and procedures should include routine screening for opioid use disorder upon entry to a facility, establishing a policy for safely storing medications on-site at the facilities, and proper reentry planning for justice-involved individuals post-incarceration to ensure continuity of care.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Correction prepare a funding request for providing all forms of medication to the entire justice-involved population, which shall be submitted to the Governor and the General Assembly, to be included in the fiscal year 2021 budget.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Correction’s funding request should be based on the number of people in Delaware correctional facilities with opioid use disorder, appropriate intercepted data, per-patient cost of providing each medication, including pharmaceutical, health services, and additional security expenses, the number of patients served, and medication mix used during the 2019-2000 budget appropriation.