During its weekly meeting Tuesday, the Weber County Commission approved a memorandum of understanding between the county, Weber Human Services and the Weber County Sheriff’s Office for a grant-funded medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, program at the jail.

Medication-assisted treatment is described as an evidence-based approach to combating opioid addiction that combines the use of medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration, like Vivitrol, Naltrexone, Sublocade and Brixadi, with behavioral therapy and peer support.

“Our facility has always practiced withdrawal protocols with our medical providers. That’s, I think, a very normal standard of care,” Chief Deputy Phillip Reese of the Weber County Sheriff’s Office told the Standard-Examiner. “What the medication-assisted treatment program does is provide a thoughtful approach to the individual sitting in front of you, where it’s a much more individualized approach rather than a standard three-day protocol or 24-hour protocol.”

The implementation of the jail’s MAT program is the culmination of a process that began in fall 2023, according to Reese. After initial conversations with Weber Human Services and the county commission, a memorandum of understanding securing state opioid response grant funds from the Office of Substance Use and Mental Health came together early last year.

“Through the course of 2024, what we implemented within the correctional facility was designated housing spaces, more rigorous safety and security check protocols for individuals that were experiencing withdrawals, a more rigorous medical intervention and level of care for those individuals experiencing withdrawals,” Reese said.

With the expansion into a full-fledged MAT program, the sheriff’s office can achieve an even higher level of care for inmates contending with addiction. Although not an official statistic, Reese estimates that more than 25% of the facility’s intake population has some kind of substance on board when they arrive.

Under the three-year agreement, individuals booked into the jail will be assessed for opioid withdrawal symptoms using the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale. Moreover, those who were actively using opioids before incarceration will receive education on MAT and the option to begin treatment. Individuals already enrolled in a MAT program prior to their arrest may continue their treatment while in custody.

A full-time registered nurse has been hired to oversee MAT program administration and Reese said second interviews are currently being conducted with case manager candidates. As the recipient of opioid settlement funding in the county, Weber Human Services will make annual payments of $240,000 to the sheriff’s office to cover the cost of their employment as well as oversight of the program.

A major component of the program is assisting inmates with their eventual reentry into the community and continued sobriety journey.

“I think a lot of people want to remain sober, but you leave our facility and you go either back to your home or you call your buddy to give you a ride to your friend’s house or whatever that looks like, right?” Reese said. “I share all the time, from the 12th Street facility to the Lantern House is a road filled with potholes. … So, anything that we can do to provide support beforehand (makes a difference) and that’s what Medication-Assisted Treatment does.”

Reese sees the implementation of the MAT program as a win for the county’s residents, those who are incarcerated and the correctional facility.

“I am incredibly proud of our staff and the work that they do on a day in and day out basis. There’s every indication that this program will literally save lives,” Reese said.