Centerstone to partner with Madison County Sheriff to provide behavioral health care in jail

Centerstone, a national leader in behavioral health care, and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office received a grant that will provide behavioral health care to those in custody of the Madison County Jail.

The $127,000 grant will fund an on-site, full-time, qualified mental health professional at the Madison County Jail. A clinician, contracted through Centerstone, will develop individualized treatment plans, provide and/or coordinate services with community treatment resources for stabilization, treatment, and support for those in custody struggling with an opioid-use disorder, substance-use disorder, and mental health disorders.

“We are honored that the Madison County Sheriff’s Office wanted to partner with us on this grant and we are excited to begin a journey of healing and recovery with those in custody at the Madison County Jail,” said Taylor Marks, Centerstone grant program implementation manager. “Many people in custody are experiencing mental health challenges or struggling with substance use issues or a combination of both, and we want to provide them with the services they need to live a happy and healthy life.”

The grant will be awarded in July 2023 and services at the Madison County Jail will begin in the summer of 2023.

“The opioid and drug epidemics are pervasive in the jail,” Madison County Sheriff Jeff Conner said. “This will have a real impact, helping to break the often-intertwined cycles of addiction and incarceration.”

The grant is part of an initial round of grants aimed at prevention of substance use and use funds from a settlement in a lawsuit against opioid distributors, according to Madison County officials. The county is receiving approximately $3.7 million over a period of years, through 2038, as its share of the opioid settlement.

“These initial grants will allow the recipients to provide critical, much-needed services,” said Madison County Mental Health Board Director Deborah Humphrey. “The services of these community partners will help mitigate the harms caused by the opioid epidemic.”

State’s Attorney Tom Haine said: “Pursuant to the terms of the settlement agreements, Madison County is obligated to use the settlement funds to support opioid remediation programs in the community. I’m honored that the State’s Attorney’s Office was able to have a role in the distribution of these funds.”

The opioid settlement was reached on behalf of local governments across the country in litigation against three distributors of opioids – AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson – and one manufacturer of opioids, Janssen. Haine announced in November 2022 that the county had begun receiving its installments.