Saving Lives in Jail: Naloxone Vending Machines, MAT and Mental Health at Davidson County (Podcast)
As we’ve discussed many times on this show, the criminal justice system has long since become the primary point of contact for substance use disorder, especially in Tennessee.
My guest this month is Eric Bauder, deputy chief of corrections for the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. While participating in an overdose fatality review team, he learned key details about how people were overdosing shortly after leaving the county jail—even those who had engaged with the jail’s successful Behavioral Care Center.
In the last year, Eric led the charge in implementing two critical evidence-based solutions: naloxone vending machines and initiating medication assisted treatment (MAT) during incarceration. These new programs, stacked onto the jail’s already robust mental health and education-focused programming, created a tangible impact.
In this conversation, we dive into the challenges he faced obtaining the vending machines, the barriers involved with launching MAT in jail, and, more importantly, continuing it afterwards. We finish with an exploration into what makes the Davidson County jail’s Behavioral Care Center so impactful, especially on recidivism rates.
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Hosted and produced by Jeremy Kourvelas. Original music by Blind House.