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Community of Practice Newsletter As part of the Opioid Treatment Ecosystem initiative at the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice, we are developing a Community of Practice with a network of counties who are focused on expanding opioid antagonist treatment and implementing overdose prevention activities. We have developed a newsletter with information we hope you find helpful in your efforts to strengthen the treatment ecosystem in your community. In future newsletters, we will provide you with information on training and funding opportunities, address shared barriers, and highlight the success from your efforts. Thank you for all that you do! Please feel free to share this information with others!
| Rhode Island has been in the national spotlight for integrating treatment for opioid use disorder into jails and prisons. Like the counties developing an Opioid Treatment Ecosystem in Michigan, facilities in Rhode Island integrated screening, all three forms of medication, and continuity of care post release. This resulted in a 12% decrease in overdose deaths across Rhode Island. Learn more | 
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| Understanding the neuroscience associated with opioid use can be an effective tool to reduce stigma. Dr. R. Corey Waller presents a short and informative video where he describes the effect of opioids use on the human brain and outlines the scope of the current opiate crisis. Watch the video |
| The Cook County jail is largest single site jail in the United States. Since 2016, they have educated 6,800 returning citizens in safe Naloxone administration and dispensed roughly 5,000 Naloxone kits, which have been used in at least 130 overdose rescues. Read the CBS Chicago article | 
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| The Michigan State Police have documented a recent rise in use and abuse of methamphetamine in Michigan, which is also part of a larger national trend. Recognizing this, the federal government is allowing states to use the federal money earmarked for the opioid epidemic for persons struggling with meth and cocaine. Read the Associated Press article |  |
| The State of Michigan continues to recognize and prioritize best practice models for opiate use disorder and expanding evidence-based treatment in the Michigan Department of Corrections. Read the Press Release |  | | |
