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Jail Health Services briefs council on MOUD expansion and Medicaid reentry waiver effort

King County Council Law and Justice Committee · February 4, 2026
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Summary

King County Jail Health Services reported on 24/7 care across two facilities, expansion of medications for opioid use disorder (including long‑acting injectables), and operational work to pursue a Medicaid 1115 reentry demonstration waiver with a target go‑live of July 1; staff warned short jail stays and scale-up needs pose operational challenges.

Denotra McBride, director of Jail Health Services (Public Health — Seattle & King County), and Megan Murphy, project manager for the reentry demonstration initiative, briefed the Law and Justice Committee on Feb. 4 about expansion efforts, accreditation, MOUD services and a proposed Medicaid 1115 waiver intended to reimburse certain pre‑release reentry services.

McBride said Jail Health is unique in Washington because it is part of public health rather than the sheriff’s office; the division provides 24/7 care across two adult facilities (the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle and the Meiling Regional Justice Center in Kent) and is accredited by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care. She reported an average daily population of about 1,400 (down from roughly 2,000 pre‑COVID), about 17,564 bookings last year and a median length of stay of about three days.

McBride described staffing…

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