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Jenna's Project: Preventing Overdose and Improving Recovery Outcomes for Women Leaving Incarcerated Settings During
Essence Hairston1, Hendrée E Jones, Elisabeth Johnson
1From the Horizons Division and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC (EH, HEJ, EJ, KRA, AKK); Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (HEJ); North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Raleigh, NC (JA); Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD (KEO'G); and Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC (AKK).
Objectives:
For people with opioid use disorder (OUD), transitioning from pregnancy to postpartum and from incarceration to the community is a time of increased risk for opioid overdose. This prospective project evaluated the extent of Jenna's Project's success in preventing overdoses and improving recovery outcomes by coordinating postrelease care in incarcerated OUD perinatal patients.
Methods:
Participants (N = 132) were pregnant or postpartum (1 year postdelivery) with OUD during incarceration and self-referred for postrelease services. From March 2020 to October 2021, participants could receive up to 6 months of postincarceration care coordination services (eg, regular communication, transportation, emergency housing, SUD treatment), medication to treat OUD (MOUD) and other treatment services. Outcomes included verified overdose (fatal), self-reported nonfatal overdose, reincarceration, active Medicaid, receipt of MOUD, presence of children living with participants, open Child Protective Services cases, and number of referrals for services.
Results:
There were 0 nonfatal and 0 fatal overdoses at both 1 and 6 months postrelease, and 3 of 132 (2%) returned to incarceration. Significantly fewer participants had Medicaid at release (36%) and at 6 months postrelease (60%) than before incarceration (87%) ( P < 0.001 for all 3 pairwise comparisons). At 6 months postrelease, significantly more participants reported MOUD receipt (51%) compared with before incarceration (39%) ( P < 0.001). There was no significant change in the number of open Child Protective Services cases. Referrals for childcare or parenting services were the most common referrals provided.
Conclusion:
Immediate postrelease care coordination for pregnant and postpartum women with OUD was feasible and effective in preventing overdose, reincarceration, and promoting recovery outcomes.
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