REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Kittitas County Jail MAT 2020

Home Browse Search

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Background/Introduction The Kittitas County Jail is a 208-bed facility located in Ellensburg, WA and part of the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office. We are centrally located in Washington State in a rural area with limited access to many services for those incarcerated who are battling Opioid, Stimulant and other substance abuse. The Kittitas County Jail houses inmates from all local jurisdictions as well as contracted agencies. These inmates are from our own community as well as other parts of the state of Washington. Summary of Project The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office is seeking a MAT (Medically Assisted Treatment) partner that can provide services within the jail, the county, and major cities across the state of Washington. A partner with a commitment to serving the Ellensburg, WA area and an extensive reach will ensure a smooth transition from the Jail MAT Program to community treatment either within our own community , or elsewhere within the state. This commitment to increasing MAT access to the greater community, in addition to the inmates at the Kittitas County Jail, will impact both of Kittitas County’s Qualified Opportunity Zones. Drug treatment has been shown to be both less expensive and more effective at reducing recidivism, drug abuse, and related crime compared to prison. Dr. Nora D Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, stated “Detox alone in jail or prison is not treatment. Without proven treatment and therapeutic follow-up in a community setting, addicted offenders are at a high risk of relapse despite a long period of forced sobriety.” By instituting evidence-based treatment in the jail setting, along with a clear path for care coordination post-release, the proposed program should have a positive impact on the public safety of the area surrounding the Kittitas County Jail. Program Design and Implementation With the size, complexity, and relatively limited community resources of the Kittitas County Jail in mind, as well as best practice guidelines published by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) and other organizations for cutting operational costs in jails related to inmates going through withdrawal, reducing overdose rates post-release, and lowering the rate of recidivism the following minimum qualifications will be used to identify a partner to provide onsite medication-assisted treatment for inmates with substance use disorder. The Kittitas County Jail has researched available MAT organizations and reviewed programs offered in other jail programs in the State of Washington. The Kittitas County Jail is confident an organization with all minimum qualifications can be procured for this project. Screening