CLEARFIELD – The Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program at the Clearfield County Jail topped the meetings of both the Clearfield County Commissioners and Prison Board on Tuesday.
The county had contracted with Meshach Recovery Center Inc. of Philipsburg to administer the MAT program.
However, some issues arose because nurses from PrimeCare—the jail’s medical services provider—were actually distributing the necessary drugs to the inmates, which was only recently brought to the attention of the county by letter and in turn has been a topic of much discussion for the county since late September.
In its letter, PrimeCare had advised that it intended to stop administering the MAT program. Consequently, the county terminated its contract with Meshach in October and requested new MAT proposals while PrimeCare has continued administering the program.
The county received two proposals, but the responses from PrimeCare and Acadia Healthcare used different methods to determine their costs. Previously, it was also noted that Acadia has no experience in a jail setting.
In early December, the commissioners reported that they had done “a lot of due diligence” along with the Clearfield-Jefferson Drug and Alcohol Commission, and found some “duplication of services” in the proposals.
So, the amount in our original proposal will be significantly less, Commissioner Chairman Dave Glass stated previously, and Commissioners John Sobel and Tim Winters agreed, specifically noting there isn’t a need for mental health and re-entry services, which are already in place.
Following that discussion, the commissioners voted unanimously to authorize Solicitor Heather Bozovich to enter into contractual discussions with PrimeCare for administration of the MAT program.
Tuesday the commissioners voted unanimously to approve an addendum to the county’s original contract agreement with Primecare so that it also includes MAT services.
The addendum is effective Dec. 1, 2024, at a cost of $14,933.33/month.
At Prison Board Tuesday, Glass suggested they bring in representatives from both PrimeCare and Clearfield-Jefferson Drug and Alcohol Commission to discuss the types of medication(s) administered by the MAT program.
Glass said it’s his understanding that they currently administer Subutex, which most local doctors won’t prescribe, and this causes problems for inmates following their release from prison.
It may be more wise for us to align better with their aftercare program, he said, noting while this isn’t necessarily “crucial,” it is still something the board should keep in mind.
“If we do this, let’s do it right and give them the right service.”
But, despite everything that’s happened, Glass believes that, “we’re in a much better place than we were three months ago.”
