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County expands buprenorphine in jails, pilots 30-day extended-release doses before release
Summary
County corrections health staff said they have provided buprenorphine since 2019 and in 2025 began offering extended-release buprenorphine (SUBLOCADE/VREXADA) at the Ramsey County Correctional Facility and Adult Detention Center; staff said they provide initial doses and connect people with community providers on release.
County corrections and public health staff told commissioners the county has provided buprenorphine in correctional settings since 2019 and has expanded access with extended-release formulations in 2025.
Deputy Director Ray Eden Frank said the county started daily buprenorphine (Suboxone) in community corrections and detention settings in 2019 and that a 30-day extended-release option (SUBLOCADE/VREXADA) has been administered beginning in 2025. "With the extended release, there is actually a 30 day extended release...we gave our first two doses and now that's something that we've implemented in our Ramsey County Correctional Facility and Adult Detention Center," he said.
Staff explained the county provides the initial extended-release doses prior to release and gives patients a 28-day prescription when discharged, but county officials do not continue daily dosing after release; community doctors and clinics must provide ongoing prescriptions. Frank highlighted cost barriers: "Suboxone is very affordable... SUBLOCADE is much more expensive...between $1,400 and $2,100 a dose," and noted that the cost can be a pinch point for hospital partnerships that want to initiate bridging doses in emergency departments.
