Camden County,
New Jersey
Population: 507,078
Camden County is the eighth most populated county in New Jersey, with 13.1 percent of the population living under the poverty line. Camden County ranked second in the state for substance use admissions in 2017. The county also ranked second-highest in the state for drug-related deaths in 2018, with an estimated 329 suspected drug-related deaths. As part of the county’s 2016–2019 Comprehensive Substance Abuse Plan, it was determined that a large gap existed between the demand for substance use treatment and the “met demand,” with offender admissions to treatment programs expected to increase. The Camden County Department of Corrections used its Building Bridges implementation funding to work with a community-based provider to screen individuals that received medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in the jail for presumptive eligibility (PE) to temporarily enroll in Medicaid. Enrolling patients from the jail for PE at the time of release offered immediate, short-term coverage of health care services while awaiting the processing of a full application. The single biggest barrier to connecting individuals on MAT to treatment upon leaving jail is access to health insurance. The Camden County Jail Reentry Coordinator worked to schedule appointments with community-based treatment providers that were between three and seven days post-release. The jail provided bridge medication for buprenorphine, but it typically took at least 30 days for a full Medicaid application to be submitted. Screening individuals for PE ensured access to treatment at the time of their scheduled appointment following release. This covered individuals who received buprenorphine, naltrexone, Sublocade injections, and methadone. On any given day in 2021, more than 150 individuals were receiving MAT in the Camden County Jail.