County jail specialist outlines MAT continuity and reentry supports for inmates

Logan Budick, the Roscommon County jail substance abuse and mental-health specialist, told commissioners the jail's opioid-use-disorder program has expanded since its implementation and now includes coordinated services with Catholic Human Services and Northern Lakes. "If someone is on Suboxone or methadone prior to coming to jail, they can continue it while they're in jail," Budick said, describing continuity-of-care and the medication-assisted-treatment (MAT) pathway the program now supports.

Budick described screenings for every inmate, efforts to schedule post-release MAT and behavioral-health appointments, and ongoing wraparound services for housing, employment and benefits assistance. He said the program's barriers are primarily structural: lack of local shelter beds, transportation limits across county lines, and the loss of Medicaid coverage on incarceration. Budick outlined planned expansions including separate opioid and alcohol counseling groups and new pamphlets and flyers for reentry resources to be made available to inmates at discharge.

Commissioners asked whether the jail's new duties add uncompensated time for existing staff and whether community partners will help fill service gaps; Budick said he is coordinating with CMH and community nonprofits and will continue to report back as services expand. "Housing and transportation is another one, which can be very hard in this community," he said, emphasizing local constraints on reentry support.