MAT Drug Court Graduation 6-13-24
It was a celebratory atmosphere when Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) Drug Court docket graduated 17 people on Thursday, June 13. As Judge David M. Matia noted, that’s the largest number since pre-COVID, and one of the largest classes ever.
The graduation also happened to be in the same year that the Cuyahoga County Drug Court is celebrating it’s 15th anniversary, and Judge Matia has been a part of it since the beginning.
Judge Matia welcomed honored each graduate with a certificate and allowed each to say something about their experience, if they wished to. One gentleman told the gathering of friends and family, “I was at my lowest. Someone like me looks for every excuse to run. To have people behind me who wanted me to succeed more than I wanted myself to succeed, at the beginning, was a blessing.”
The Medically Assisted Treatment Drug Court serves individuals with an opioid use disorder, and was initially created in 2015 a response to Ohio’s opioid pandemic. Often, medication can be used to help a client overcome their dependency when combined with counseling and other programs offered by the docket.
In all, the Court now has four Drug Court dockets, including Recovery Court (Judge Joan C. Synenberg), HOPE Court (Judge William T. McGinty), and the standard Drug Court (Judge Kelly A. Gallagher).
