When the grant was announced, McKinley Hall CEO Wendy Doolittle explained the new program mirrors an existing program available to men incarcerated in Clark County.
“We’ve been able to provide services to men in the Clark County Jail and transition them to outpatient services, but we haven’t had the opportunity to match that for women,“ Doolittle said. “This grant allows us to go to the jail and provide intensive services and medication to help women transition out into recovery housing and intensive treatment and case management.”
The program is well underway and is making progress addressing the goals of improving options for recovery for women jailed for substance abuse. It is also providing housing for women as they transition from incarceration to recovery and return to the community.
Another goal of the grant is to reduce the overdose death rates among members of the city’s Black community.
Grant dollars have funded staffing including two therapists and peer support coordinators to coordinate services for women who are incarcerated in Clark County and who have substance use disorders.
The program has also enabled the purchase of a house that will be used to provide safe housing and treatment for justice-involved women who are transitioning to outpatient treatment provided by McKinley Hall.
Doolittle said the effort to prevent deaths includes innovative approaches to immediate harm reduction strategies when an overdose occurs.
“A syringe exchange program and the availability of Narcan in community locations including local bars and barber shops is aimed at enabling someone who has overdosed to survive and receive treatment,” she said. “Those jailed for substance abuse are now leaving with a Narcan kit in their belongings with a goal of reducing death rates.”
The organization also has an opioid response team providing immediate follow-up and treatment services following an overdose.
Doolittle said former inmates face multiple challenges upon release.
“The challenge of ensuring stability upon release is complicated, especially if they don’t have a place to stay. This grant addresses housing needs,” Doolittle said. “We now have four recovery house options for women and three for men, available to help transition people back into the community.”
Doolittle noted Black women are disproportionately affected by the justice system and Justice Department figures demonstrate a marked disparity in the options and resources available for minorities, particularly minority women.
A recent survey by the Mental Health Recovery Board indicated McKinley Hall has earned a unique role in the Springfield community, being identified among members of Springfield’s Black community as a trusted resource for assistance.
It’s important to also offer minorities another option more readily available to others, Doolittle said.
“We want to encourage inclusion of people of color having the opportunity to participate in the drug court diversion program,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Doolittle believes advances are being made.
“We are grateful that substance abuse is beginning to be seen as a medical issue, not a moral issue. Not everybody is totally on board yet, but we are seeing progress … As we move to a more compassionate place, we are seeing a better understanding that we can’t incarcerate our way out of drug addiction,” Doolittle said. “We can’t expect someone with substance abuse issues not to relapse. Many do, but that does not mean they are unsuccessful. How quickly they bounce back from a relapse and the support available to them is critical to long-term success.”
Mental Health Recovery Board of Clark, Greene & Madison Counties CEO Greta Mayer said the collaboration between the city, county sheriff’s department and mental health services has better enabled the possibility of improving options for women in jail.
“No one agency can solve all the problems associated with substance use,” Mayer said. “The collaboration is an opportunity to train other organizations involved in the system about how the program can improve outcomes. All results are being documented and ongoing research throughout program implementation will enable an evaluation of success.”
The goal will be to make it sustainable, retain individuals in treatment and extend services on an out-patient basis, according to Mayer.
Doolittle hopes at some point the focus on drug abuse can shift more to prevention.
“We need to understand how lots of people get on this path to begin with and we need to offer compassion,” Doolittle said. “It is the best pathway to help end the suffering of the person using drugs and their families, who also suffer too.”
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