I work in a county jail setting and they have recently started giving methadone to inmates that are incarcerated. Has anyone else had to deal with this situation in a correctional setting, and if so, do the methadone clinics handle it, or is your staff expected to take care of it.
We have more or less had it dumped on us. It actually came about due to the psych dept. and they were handling it but unfortunately, both our psych nurses have left( wonder why ) and it has now become medical's responsibility.
Any input would be appreciated.
The real kicker here is that we do not give narcotics in this facility, and if an inmate comes in on methadone for pain control they are put on withdrawl protocol. Only pts. from the methadone program are cotinued on this. Does that make any sense?
Think this has something to do with grant money, not pt care, But that's an opinion on my part.
Any thoughts on this?