Press release from Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office:
On Wednesday, August 31 from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Sarah Gayton from the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office will lead a statewide webinar titled “Operational Basics: MAT in Jails Facility Implementation – Legal, Medical, Security, and Community Considerations webinar” for counties across North Carolina who are looking to start or expand their medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs.
Since the onset of the MAT program in 2019 at the Buncombe County Detention Facility (BCDF), there has been a 20 percent reduction in community overdose deaths of individuals with an arrest event within the prior 5 years, according to data collected by Gayton. Additionally, data from 2019 reflects 18 percent lower recidivism rates for individuals on MAT at the BCDF.
“Implementing MAT in our jail is saving lives and has a positive impact both within our facility and our community. We are thankful for the partners and collaborations in place to make this a successful program,” says Captain and BCDF Facility Administrator Jeffrey Littrell.
“The reduction of overdose deaths and recidivism rates demonstrates that investment in evidence-based solutions such as MAT saves lives and improves community wellness. This webinar series is a culmination of years of implementation, lessons learned, leveraging community stakeholders, local data and feedback through the process. Our hope is that this information will provide insight into the programmatic, structural and operational implementation of MAT at our facility,” shares Sarah Gayton, MAT Services Director for the Buncombe County Detention Facility.Last month, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein toured the Buncombe County Detention Facility and referred to its MAT program as the “gold standard.”
In addition to Gayton, Sheriff Quentin Miller, Captain Jeffrey Littrell and Buncombe Veteran Treatment Court Coordinator, Kevin Rumley will present as part of the webinar. This webinar series is hosted by MAHEC (Mountain Area Health Education) and will also include presentations from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, NC State Opioid Treatment Authority (SOTA), Durham County Sheriff’s Office, Pitt County Sheriff’s Office and MAHEC. This webinar is one of many collaborations working to expand access to treatment and recovery services for the justice-involved in North Carolina.
In 2019, Sarah Gayton was appointed by Sheriff Quentin Miller to develop a MAT program for the BCDF. Gayton serves as the MAT Services Director for the BCDF, which was the first county jail facility in the state to have a fully operational MAT program. Her career in public behavioral health and jail programming, in conjunction with her training as a detention officer have uniquely equipped her to understand the organizational, community and operational needs of an effective jail MAT treatment program. Gayton has gained subject-matter recognition as she continues to advocate and provide technical assistance for MAT related programming across North Carolina.
Members of the media and public can sign-up for the free webinar here:
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