Tuscola County, Michigan, is a rural community with a population of 52,000 residents. Tuscola County follows the same problematic substance use trends as the rest of the United States but has fewer resources (on average) than other counties in Michigan. Tuscola County has a robust team of stakeholders in support of a jail-based medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program, including the presiding judge of the local drug treatment court, the jail administrator, a professor from Wayne State University (to conduct research), and a local substance use disorder treatment provider. However, the team needs assistance with the initial steps of implementing an effective MAT program.

Tuscola County’s proposed goals for the Building Bridges Planning Initiative are as follows:

• Develop training for correctional officers about MAT.
• Visit and learn from a jail that has successfully implemented MAT.
• Develop a process to connect individuals to services in the community, ideally 30 days prior to release.