Improving Custody-to-Community Transitions
Houston-Harris County Drug Summit Explores Challenges, Options for Addressing Substance Use Disorders in Jail System
Aug. 15 — Local, regional and state representatives from law enforcement, government, social service and health care organizations, and academia recently joined forces at the Houston-Harris County Drug Summit to explore ways to improve treatment and care transitions for individuals in the jail system and expand the workforce needed to support long-term recovery.
With nearly 400 people in attendance at the daylong event Aug. 1 at the University of Houston, the event—themed "Building a Continuum of Care"— was co-hosted by The PREMIER Center at UH College of Pharmacy (UHCOP) and the Houston-Harris County Office of Drug Policy.
Douglas Thornton, Ph.D., Pharm.D., BCPS, UHCOP associate professor and director of The PREMIER Center, noted a clear indication of the problem's scope—and opportunity for action—stems from National Institute on Drug Abuse data indicating 65% of people in U.S. prisons or jails meet the criteria for a substance use disorder (SUDs) vs. about 8% in the general population.
"This summit brought our Harris County community together to face a hard truth: too many people leaving jail don’t get the care they need," Thornton said. "We talked about real solutions: stronger coordination between justice and health systems, investing in the recovery workforce, and policies that meet people where they are."
Highlights of the summit included panel discussions with Michael Kelly, B.S., LCDC, COPSD, CFP, MHS, of Harris Health System; Gwen Bossett, LCDC, of the Harris County Sheriff's Office; Leonard Kincaid, LPC, LCDC, MBA, of the Houston Recovery Center; Normal Farr, M.D., MPH, of the University of Texas Medical Branch; Katrina Garey-Forte, Ph.D., MACP, SAP, LCDC, CHW-I, of Houston Community College; Jeffrey Loflin, CRSPS, of SEARCH Homeless Services; and Gregg Sherrill, M.A., LPC, NCC, with Lara Offenburger, PA, of and Austin De La Cruz, Pharm.D., BCPP, of UHCOP serving as moderators.
Opening remarks were provided by Houston City Councilor Julian Ramirez, J.D., Drug Enforcement Agency Diversion Program Manager Linda Stocum, UHCOP Executive Associate Dean Paige Pitman, Pharm.D., MBA, R.Ph., and Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia delivered a "State of Care in Harris County" presentation. The keynote address, "Healing Behind Bars: Bridging, Addiction, Recovery and Criminal Justice," was presented by Douglas Ziedonis, M.D., MPH, of Striver Health Innovations, a leading researcher in the intersections of the criminal justice system, SUDs, and mental illness.
Held on the 16th Community Drug Awareness Day, this year's summit was sponsored by the PREMIER Center; Houston High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Office of National Drug Control Policy; Willard Foundation; Fort Bend Community Prevention Coalition; Houston TAAP; City of Houston; and Houston Community College.
