King County, Wash., to launch substance-abuse support app for former inmates
People released from correctional facilities in King County, Washington, over the next three years will be eligible to receive virtual substance abuse support, a company developing the mobile app announced this week.
The Washington Department of Corrections and King County, which surrounds Seattle, partnered with the Los Angeles virtual recovery program Igntd to provide substance abuse services for inmates released to and residing in King County.
King County’s app hasn’t yet been made available and the company hasn’t provided a timeline for its release.
According to Igntd’s Tuesday announcement, users will have 24/7 access to substance-use disorder care, individual and group coaching, support services and case management functions. Igntd designed the app for the state corrections department using the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s guidelines for treating incarcerated populations.
The program is a voluntary resource and it is not mandatory or a condition of their release, according to Igntd’s announcement. The services will be available to those released between June 2024 and December 2027.
“Substance use disorder is complex, and we know there is not one simple solution. That is why we are committed to connecting people to multiple resources that will allow them to seek treatment and get on the path to recovery,” Dwight Dively, King County’s director of performance strategy and budget, said in the announcement. “This includes those people leaving jails and prisons who may be looking for ongoing support as they navigate returning to King County and their communities.”
A spokesperson for Igntd told StateScoop the referral processes for interested participants are still being finalized, but that for now, people leaving correctional facilities can participate by contacting the agencies overseeing their release.
The partnership is part of the Second Chance Act, a federal 2008 law intended to help formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into society after being released from prison, jail, or juvenile facilities, a population that often struggles with substance abuse.
The law includes a Pay for Success Reentry Initiative, which allows governments to establish partnerships service providers and that ties payment for services to reaching agreed-upon goals.
According to a survey published last year by the Washington State Health Care Authority, approximately 60% of inmates in the state prison system, nearly 8,000 people, have substance use disorders.
