MAT Docket Receives Grant
The Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court’s Medically Assisted Treatment Drug Court has been awarded a five-year, $2 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA).
The grant will support the expansion of behavioral health services participants receive through the support of counseling and case management services at Signature Health, while maintaining residential treatment partners, court staff, including a TASC Assessment Specialist, and ancillary partners. Case Western Reserve University will provide evaluation services.
The MAT Drug Court, presided over by Judge David T. Matia, utilizes medication to help individuals with an opioid use disorder and was initially created in 2015 as a response to Ohio’s opioid pandemic.
“We are celebrating 15 years since we started our first county Drug Court,” says Judge Matia. “The fact that we have now expanded to four dockets, including MAT, shows the program works and lives are being saved. This grant will allow us to expand that assistance.”
Administrative and Presiding Judge Brendan J. Sheehan adds, “This grant award would not be possible without the dedication of the Drug Court stakeholders and team members. It will continue to support our community by providing greater access to a continuum of critical behavioral health services and lasting interventions for participants suffering from opioid use disorders.”
Along with MAT, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court has a standard Drug Court docket presided over by Judge Kelly A. Gallagher, Recovery Court under Judge Joan C. Synenberg that assists primarily victims of human trafficking, and Helping Others Prosper Everyday (HOPE) in which Judge William T. McGinty oversees clients at greater risk of ending up back in the criminal justice system.
To celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Cuyahoga County Drug Court, the Common Pleas Court has produced video looking at the program’s history, impact, and future. You can stream it by clicking here (https://youtu.be/09uMc_ocT2Y) or by visiting the Court’s YouTube channel.