The Wayne State University (WSU) School of Work (SSW) Center for Behavioral Health and Justice (CBHJ) was represented at WSU Humanities Center Brown Bag Colloquium Series on Tuesday, October 1,2019. CBHJ Director Brad Ray and Associate Director Julie Hanna shared their experience and expertise in the intersection of opioid treatment and prison/jail re-entry work. They provided an overview of CBHJ initiatives currently being implemented in 18 Michigan counties, with a focus on the Opioid Treatment Ecosystem (OTE) and Michigan Re-Entry Project (MI-REP) initiatives. The presentation was attended by an interdisciplinary audience, including faculty from the WSU Law School, SSW, School of Medicine, Psychology Department, the CBHJ, and Research Scientists from external entities like Henry Ford Hospital.

Hanna discussed the history and goals of the CBHJ, including increasing faculty and student engagement and expanding the Center's reach to at least half Michigan's counties. The CBHJ is currently working with county jails to implement medications for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) such as methadone, buprenorphine (brand name Suboxone), and naltrexone (brand name Vivitrol), which have been proven to be the gold standard in treating OUD.

Ray spoke about his research addressing the intersection between OUD and the criminal/legal system in Indiana and Michigan, which he began 7 years ago. He discussed the importance of accurate county and state data to be able to track trends over time, particularly the specific drugs associated with overdose deaths. He was careful to refer to the epidemic as an overdose epidemic, not just an opioid epidemic, as he expects to see shifts in trends of drug use over time.

The CBHJ is dedicated to enabling data-driven decision-making at the intersection of behavioral health and the criminal/legal system through its research and initiatives and to disseminating knowledge gained from these efforts. The CBHJ is grateful to have had the chance to share its work with the attendees of the Humanities Brown Bag Colloquium Series.

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About the Michigan Re-entry (MI-REP) Initiative: The Michigan Re-entry Project (MI-REP) was implemented in 2017 with funding from SAMHSA's State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis and expanded with State Opioid Response funding in 2019. MI-REP utilizes the evidence-based MISSION-CJ model to provide support for incarcerated individuals with co-occurring opioid use and mental health issues. Clinical teams in three prisons and two jails provide case management and peer support services for three months prior to release and six months following community re-entry to individuals re-entering five Michigan counties. Learn more

About the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice: The Center for Behavioral Health and Justice and Wayne State University's School of Social Work envisions communities in which research, data, and best practices are used by multiple stakeholders to enhance the optimal well-being of individuals with mental illness and/or substance use disorders who come into contact with the criminal/legal system. Learn more

About the Brown Bag Colloquium Series: The Brown Bag Colloquium Series is one of the Humanities Center's most important programs, providing a regular forum for the exchange, development and synthesis of ideas among humanities and arts faculty at Wayne State. The series helps the Center fulfill its mission to be a catalyst for interdisciplinary conversations and fellowship among WSU humanities, social science and arts scholars at all stages in their careers. Learn more