New Mexico officials report growth in medication treatment for inmates

A New Mexico program that provides medication-assisted treatment for inmates with substance abuse disorders has expanded its reach, a state legislative analyst told lawmakers Thursday.

Nearly 24% of New Mexicans have substance use disorders, over half of which are opiate or alcohol disorders that can be treated with medication-assisted treatment, according to a Thursday presentation to lawmakers on the Legislature’s interim Health and Human Services Committee. 

Medication-assisted treatment uses medications, such as methadone or buprenorphine, in combination with counseling to treat substance use disorders. Patients receiving the treatment, research shows, are less likely to overdose, continue opioid use or have contact with the criminal justice system. 

A New Mexico Corrections Department survey found that 36% of inmates in the state — about 2,000 — require treatment. Wence Asonganyi, health services administrator for the Corrections Department, clarified to lawmakers that the figure represents inmates who meet the “medical criteria” for substance abuse disorder. The Corrections Department last year received a nearly three-year appropriation of close to $40 million from the state’s Government Results and Opportunity program to provide treatment for inmates in need.

This year, 1,407 of the 2,000 inmates identified received treatment, Allegra Hernandez, Legislative Finance Committee senior fiscal analyst, told interim HHS committee lawmakers Thursday. According to her presentation, seven of the eight state-operated prisons in New Mexico now provide MAT services, and 815 inmates continue to receive treatment in the program’s second year.

That represents an improvement from a year ago when the LFC reported only 176 inmates had received the treatment. 

“Corrections is doing an excellent job at rolling out the program,” Hernandez said.

Asonganyi told lawmakers he is confident in the program’s achievements, but said it has been “very challenging” to implement across the state.

One of those challenges, Asonganyi explained, is securing providers who can prescribe methadone, a controlled substance used as a treatment medication for opioid addiction.  Currently, the department can offer all other treatment medications in-house, Asonganyi said, but relies on an outside service provider to sign off on inmates’ methadone prescriptions, which leaves the Corrections Department “vulnerable.”

“If that service provider, for whatever reason, cannot supply the medication — we are left in a very difficult situation with our patients,” Asonganyi said.

In addition, Asonganyi said the department also has had trouble recruiting behavioral health staff for psychotherapy and counseling. As a result, the department has used telehealth providers to address gaps in treatment. Asonganyi said the department hopes to address these issues in the program’s third implementation phase next year. Its other goals include providing continuity of care after an inmate is released and collecting data on the program’s outcomes.

Sen. Elizabeth “Liz” Stefanics (D-Santa Fe) underscored the program’s importance: “I think this is extremely worthwhile if we are looking at a population that’s going to integrate back into our communities,” she said.