The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) took over healthcare in Utah prisons on July 1, 2023, to improve healthcare quality and streamline operations. The motto is new name, new department, new vision. In fact, their vision statement is to deliver whole person, data-driven care, which will improve health and safety outcomes while individuals are incarcerated, and as they transition to their communities.

One of the services offered is medication-assisted treatment (MAT). They also have an in-house pharmacy which you would think would make it very dependable. According to the DHHS website, accommodations are made for inmates with a disability through the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and those arrangements can be made through an inmate’s caseworker or housing unit officer.

Under the ADA, Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is considered a medical condition and is legally protected as a disability. However, years pass and inmates do not see their caseworkers.

DHHS is responsible for providing clinical and behavioral healthcare oversight across Utah’s state prisons, meaning their professionals set the standards and rules for MAT. However, the individual decision of who receives MAT at USCF comes down to the on-site prison doctors and clinical teams who evaluate your specific medical history, diagnosis, and treatment plan.

According to multiple denials as well as health care workers, the directors are the ones denying, not medical professionals. Keep in mind that while MAT is the medical standard for Opioid Use Disorder, access inside Utah’s state prisons has historically been highly limited and subject to specific eligibility guidelines.

The Utah Legislature designated $1,250,000 in ongoing funds specifically for OUD treatment in state prisons. Out of an estimated 6,300 inmates, 1,800 have OUD, though current prison capacity treats a fraction of that.

The state has allocated millions from national opioid lawsuit settlements and only a limited number are being treated. Research and cost-impact analyses consistently show that providing Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) saves societal and correctional budgets money. Providing these treatments prevents expensive emergency room visits, significantly reduces recidivism rates, and decreases post-release overdose fatalities.

Executive leaders in corrections and health and human services say they are committed to improving health and life outcomes for justice-involved individuals. Some claim they are dedicated to systemic reform, and evidence-based practices that enhance both individual and public well-being. And other leaders say it is like “putting a band aid on a bullet hole.”

Overall, the leaders who convinced us this $1 billion project, the largest construction project in the state of Utah history, were focusing on rehabilitation and reform because, as Utah Governor Spencer Cox said, “we know someday most of them will be back with us living in our communities, our neig.hbors. Giving them tools to rebuild their lives because that will not happen if we just put them in a box”

If recidivism were truly the enemy, it would not be so profitable. Until we stop treating addiction like a character flaw and start treating it like the public health crisis it is, people will continue to die unnecessarily and remain in the incarcerated system.

Where is the outrage for a system that will spend thousands to incarcerate someone but fight paying for treatment that could save their life?

Misty Spell is an Ogden resident.