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Missouri Department of Corrections Staff Training in Overdose Education and Naloxone Administration

The Missouri Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) team invited key stakeholders to the 2022 MO Overdose Prevention Summit, hosted by the Missouri Department of Mental Health and Department of Health and Senior Services, and collaborated with them at the event. Invitations to the Summit included the University of Missouri St. Louis – Missouri Institute of Mental Health (USML-MIMH) Director of Community Harm Reduction Programming, the USML-MIMH Director of First Responder and Public Health Programming and the Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) Assistant Division Director, Behavioral Health Services. State and local partners were invited to create a state overdose prevention plan and develop a strategic partnership. Engaging in discussions during the Summit, the group focused on collaborative efforts to educate and equip MO Corrections staff and residents with naloxone, aiming to reduce overdoses within the DOC setting. This structured approach overcame challenges like limited overdose data disclosure amongst MO DOC residents. Following this collaboration, as of December 2022, MO DOC staff underwent training on overdose education and naloxone administration. Notably, this marked the first-ever Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) training for the DOC. The MIMH supplied nasal naloxone to all DOC institutions statewide and also provided education and nasal naloxone to all state Probation and Parole officers. The relationship built by the ORS team with the aforementioned partners resulted in a groundbreaking effort within the Missouri prison setting. Since the inception of this program, all individuals within Missouri prisons are now provided naloxone upon their release.