Riverside County Sheriff Department to Implement Naloxone for Direct Inmate Access

The California (Los Angeles / Riverside) Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) team sought to identify a strategy for appropriate naloxone access in county jail facilities. Soliciting insights from the LA County Chief Medical Officer, the CA (LA/Riverside) ORS team learned that direct inmate access in jail dormitories and free naloxone vending machines in guest spaces resulted in reduced overall opioid overdoses in jail systems. Through a connection from the ORS team, the findings from the LA Chief Medical Officer were also shared with the Sheriff of Riverside County, who decided to implement a pilot project with direct inmate access to naloxone at one of their detention centers. The results of this pilot project will determine if this practice is to become the policy throughout the county. The CA (LA/Riverside) ORS team is working diligently on sharing these practices through the recorded online training with the neighboring counties to implement in California and with ORS teams nationally.