By Justin Strawser
The Daily Item
LEWISBURG, Pa. — Union County Jail Warden Ryan Boatman is requesting $50,000 in opioid settlement money from county commissioners to pilot an in-house medication-assisted treatment program for male inmates.
Because local program resources are limited, Union County outsources housing and care for inmates participating in MAT to the Columbia County Prison in Bloomsburg. With eight inmates in the program, accounting for 618 total housing days at $85 per inmate per day, the cost totaled $52,530 this year. Boatman expects that number to exceed $60,000 by the end of the year.
“If we tripled this year, I don’t have a crystal ball for next year, but this seems to be an ongoing issue,” Boatman said at this week’s public work session.
The $52,530 does not include secondary operational costs absorbed by Union County, including staff hours and vehicle wear and tear required for transport deputies to move inmates between jurisdictions for court appearances and medical intakes. It also does not include the cost of medications, Boatman said.
The requested allocation would allow the county to keep these inmates locally, eliminate out-of-county per diem expenditures, maintain local jurisdictional oversight and build a sustainable internal health care infrastructure, Boatman said.
Boatman also suggested shifting from oral MAT medications to Brixadi, an extended-release buprenorphine injection.
“It’s cheaper, safer and more cost-effective,” Boatman said.
The commissioners were receptive to Boatman’s proposal. Commissioner Stacy Richards asked for a more detailed breakdown of expenses.
Finance Director Jeffrey McClintock previously said in May that the county has approximately $220,000 in uncommitted opioid settlement funds to commit by June 2027 . That does not include future funds promised to the county.
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