ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. (Romero Report) — The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office has received a grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) to establish a program that assists inmates suffering from substance use disorders.

The Sheriff’s Office submitted an application for a grant for a Medication Assisted Treatment (M.A.T.) program in April and was awarded $473,002.

The primary goal of the M.A.T. program is to reduce withdrawal symptoms from heroin, fentanyl, and other opioid-based drugs for inmates, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The program will offer enhanced mental health services for individuals with substance use disorders and provide continued support post-incarceration.

The jail will collaborate with multiple partners, including the Rockingham County Department of Health and Human Services, Southern Health Partners, the Rockingham County Health Department, the Rockingham County District Attorney’s Office (District 22), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Daymark Recovery Services of Rockingham County, and Rockingham County Emergency Services, to establish, implement, and operate the new program.

Sheriff Sam Page thanked Lieutenant Kevin Suthard for writing the grant and the NCDPS for awarding the funding.

“I understand that a number of other Sheriff’s Offices across North Carolina also submitted requests for this grant funding, so we are fortunate to have been selected,” Sheriff Page said. “Last but not least, I want to thank all of our partnering agencies. Working together, we all share the same goal of getting individuals with substance abuse disorders on the road to lifelong recovery and back on track to being productive members of our communities.”

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