BARNSTABLE – The Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office says they have lost federal funding for addiction treatment services.
They were among hundreds of agencies this week which received termination letters from the Trump Administration.
The Sheriff’s office says the $2.6 million dollar grant slated to end this year supported their Expanded Medication Assisted Treatment (EMAT) Program, providing case management and re-entry planning for pre-trial and sentenced individuals with opioid use disorder.
The program also included group counseling and recovery coaching.
Services were provided during incarceration and for up to six months post-release.
Sheriff Donna Buckley says it will impact public safety, adding that reduced opioid dependency across a community also reduces crime.
“Addiction has a direct impact on public safety,” said Sheriff Donna D. Buckley. “Seventy percent of the people entrusted to the Barnstable County Correctional Facility have substance abuse disorders. The loss of this funding goes to the heart of our most important work. Addiction treatment during and post incarceration deprives drug dealers of return customers. It reduces homelessness, human trafficking and the spread of deadly diseases like AIDS and Hepatitis. It prevents more victims and more crime.”
The office said they cannot absorb the full financial impact of the positions related to the program but will continue to look for other ways to provide the services.
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