Collaborating With Jails to Provide Community-based Medication for Opioid Use Disorder: Qualitative Perspectives From...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Addiction Medicine
• Criminal Justice Health

Background:

• Carceral settings are increasingly providing medications for opioid use disorders (MOUD).
• Community-based providers must collaborate with correctional agencies for treatment continuity upon release.
• Limited research exists on effective collaboration strategies between MOUD providers and jails.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore MOUD providers' perspectives on collaborating with jails offering MOUD.
• To identify facilitators and barriers to interagency collaboration for MOUD continuity.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving 36 MOUD providers from 18 community agencies.
• Hour-long interviews guided by Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) framework.
• Data analyzed to identify factors influencing collaboration.

Main Results:

• Facilitators included internal agency factors (staffing, adaptive culture) and external support (community endorsement, jail staff training).
• Effective communication strategies involved regular meetings and dedicated contacts.
• Barriers included fragmented in-jail services and multiple healthcare contractors, complicating re-entry coordination.
• Building interagency partnerships across cultural and structural differences was crucial for sustained collaboration.

Conclusions:

• Suggestions for collaboration include assessing internal agency conditions and leveraging external community support.
• Sustained engagement and intentional partnership development are vital.
• Interagency differences can be navigated to create mutually beneficial relationships for MOUD continuity.