After investigation, Wyatt Detention Facility agrees to provide opioid treatment to detainees

THE DONALD W. Wyatt Detention Facility will ensure detainees will be treated for opioid use disorder prior to detention and while in custody as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island and the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday. / COURTESY DONALD W. WYATT DETENTION FACILITY

PROVIDENCE – The Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls has agreed to provide opioid treatment to detainees in recovery after an investigation found that the jail had failed to distribute medications for opioid use disorder as required by Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island and the U.S. Department of Justice said Monday. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office determined that the facility did not provide medications such as methadone and buprenorphine and did not provide any individualized medical assessments on whether each person should be maintained on or withdrawn from opioid treatment.

The investigation found that some detainees who were previously undergoing prescribed treatment had to undergo forced withdrawal while at the Wyatt facility. 

People undergoing treatment for opioid use disorder are generally considered disabled under the ADA, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

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Under the agreement announced Monday, the detention facility will adopt non-discriminatory medication management policies and provide methadone or buprenorphine for individuals with opioid use disorder who have been prescribed the medication. 

“Efforts to combat substance abuse and opioid deaths require every tool at our disposal,” said Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “That means not just vigorous and targeted law enforcement, but also sensible and humane treatment that provides a bridge to recovery. Where medical professionals have determined that OUD treatment is appropriate, the ADA requires jails like the Wyatt to continue to provide it, and I am pleased that, with today’s agreement, the facility has committed to meet this critical obligation to its detainees.”     

 

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