Working with Community Partners

HOW

Action Items

1. Identify key needs of your pregnant with OUD population that are outside the scope of care you can provide in custody and those that you don’t already have a partnership in place to provide (e.g. prenatal care, MOUD, counseling, etc.)
   • Identify key reentry needs for pregnant patients with OUD leaving your facility that you need resources for and follow the same steps. Use the MOMCARE Planning for Reentry Checklist for Pregnant and Postpartum Patients.
2. Designate a staff member to conduct outreach to community-based organizations that can meet the needs you identified. Contact the organization to discuss their services and a possible collaboration with the jail.
3. Determine the best way to provide the identified services to people in custody (i.e. onsite, transport, telehealth, or at reentry). Implement an MOU with the organization to outline roles and responsibilities.
   • Discuss a reentry plan that prioritizes a warm handoff – jail staff contact the community provider before the patient leaves custody to share information and give them a heads up.
4. Keep documentation of your community partnerships, services provided, and contact information. Update the jail policy to include these services and how they will be delivered. Share updated information with all staff.

Not all community organizations are the same, and some might be more amenable to certain things than others. What’s important is finding a process that works for both your jail and the organization.

In general, locating a community organization is as simple as searching the internet for whatever services you require. Once you’ve located a potential partner, someone from the jail should call to get a better understanding of their services and discuss a possible partnership or collaboration with the jail.

Jail staff should discuss what your population needs are and how this organization may help fulfill those needs. Discussions may take place over multiple meetings. Possible collaboration modalities look like:

Services provided while in custody

• The community organization comes to the jail to provide services (e.g. MOUD, mental health, peer support, etc.)
• Services are provided to people in custody via telehealth
• Incarcerated people are transported offsite to receive services while they are in custody

Services provided after release

• At reentry, the jail refers the individual to the organization to receive services after release
• An organization staff member can meet with the individual in custody before release to build rapport and explain the services they can receive upon reentry (warm handoff)

You should have a point person at the jail and a point person at that organization for each partnership. Keep a list with updated information about the organization’s services, point person, and contact information.

Once both parties agree on what their partnership will entail, an MOU should be created and signed to facilitate understanding and agreement. See MOMCARE Memorandum of Understanding.

Here are some types of organizations/services that you might want to partner with:

• Methadone/Buprenorphine treatment providers that accept pregnant patients
• Behavioral health and peer support
• Parenting classes
• Doula services
• Residential programs for pregnant/parenting individuals who use substances
• Other housing programs that accept pregnant individuals
• Domestic violence shelters
• Prenatal care provider in your community
• Reentry organizations specifically for women

WHY 

Jails may not have the capacity to provide every service that a pregnant patient with OUD will need, both in custody and at reentry. Leveraging existing services in your community saves you a lot of work!

Jails are embedded in communities and should work collaboratively with organizations and resources within their community to ensure continuity of care and support. Pregnant patients, as well as other incarcerated individuals, may funnel in and out of jail frequently so it’s important to make sure there are mechanisms in place to ensure their care isn’t being disrupted or discontinued.

Some service organizations that you may partner with in your community may not provide services for pregnant patients. It’s important to know this ahead of time and have lists and connections with those that do.

Partnerships with community organizations can also lead to more robust services for people in custody. Some organizations may be willing to come on-site (or use telehealth) to provide services to your population. And, connecting people to robust resources at reentry can help reduce recidivism.