New meetings to connect jail personnel with community-based organizations

Continuity of care is mandated in state statute for individuals with an opioid or other substance use disorder who transition from jail to the community.

There are numerous community-based organizations serving individuals upon or after release from incarceration, but there is a need to improve the connection between those organizations and county jail personnel.

Individuals with an opioid use disorder are among the those with the highest risk of drug overdose death following release from incarceration. In 2023, Colorado experienced another high number of drug overdose deaths. Improving continuity of care is essential to help ensure that various needs of individuals leaving incarceration are met, including continuation of medication for opioid disorder, housing, employment, and basic daily living needs.

The Colorado Consortium is partnering with County Sheriffs of Colorado, the Colorado Jail Association, and the Center for Addiction Medicine at Denver Health to help better connect local service providers with local jail personnel to improve the continuity of care for individuals who are released from custody. This will occur through a series of regional in-person meetings across the state, allowing jail personnel and representatives of community-based organizations to interact and to discuss how to improve continuity of care.

Below is the list of regional meetings and the counties for which those meetings are intended to draw participants. Use the link below to register the regional meeting(s) of your choice.

If you are not able to participate in person, there is an option to indicate your interest in improving connection with a local jail. You can provide some information about your organization’s services that will be shared with jail personnel.

After each regional meeting, there will be follow-up support to improve continuity of care. This will include the availability of individualized technical assistance from experienced rural and urban jail/healthcare partners that can support customized partnerships, workflows, and documentation/communication. These services will be highlighted during the meetings and you can learn more about requesting this technical support here.

If you have any questions, you can contact Shayna Micucci, Program Manager, shayna.micucci@cuanschutz.edu.

After reviewing the locations below, click here to register.

Regional Meeting 1
August 9, 2024, 1:00-4:00 (in-person only)
Location: City of Pueblo
Specific meeting location provided after registration
Counties: Chaffee, Crowley, El Paso, Fremont, Huerfano, Las Animas, Otero, Pueblo

Regional Meeting 2
September 20, 2024, 1:00-4:00 (in-person only)
Location: Grand Junction
Specific meeting location provided after registration
Counties: Delta, Garfield, Gunnison, Mesa, Montrose, Moffat, Routt

Regional Meeting 3
October 18, 2024, 1:00-4:00 (in-person only)
Location: Greeley
Specific meeting location provided after registration
Counties:  Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Washington, Weld

Regional Meeting 4
November 15, 2024, 1:00-4:00 (in-person only)
Location: Brighton
Specific meeting location provided after registration
Counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, Gilpin, Elbert, Jefferson, Lincoln