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TNSAM Supports Expanded Access to MOUD in Correctional Facilities
On March 11, the Tennessee Society of Addiction Medicine (TNSAM) sent a letter of support for HB1239/SB421 to members of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. This legislation would expand access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) by allowing nurse practitioners and physicians assistants to prescribe buprenorphine in state, county, and municipal correctional facilities.
In the letter, TNSAM stressed the public health importance of expanding access to MOUD in correctional facilities. For example, TNSAM noted that buprenorphine treatment for OUD is associated with increased treatment retention and lowered incidence of criminal behavior. Further, expanded access to MOUD in correctional facilities mitigates several negative health effects that incarcerated individuals with OUD face, including elevated risk of overdose post release. Finally, TNSAM emphasized that greater access to MOUD in correctional facilities reduces the negative impacts of forced opioid withdrawal, which occurs when a treatment plan is abruptly discontinued. In sum, TNSAM characterized HB1239/SB421 as important legislation to improve health outcomes and strengthen the state’s response to the overdose crisis.