Sherry McKee, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, will be an expert panelist when two federal agencies convene January 29 and 30 in Maryland to discuss the implementation of a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program for individuals involved in the criminal justice system.
McKee and other experts will offer guidance to representatives from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) during a two-day meeting at SAMHSA headquarters in Rockville, MD.
McKee was recommended to serve on the panel based on her knowledge, experience, and expertise in MAT and related programs.
She is Clinical Director of the Forensic Drug Diversion Clinic at Yale and leads a federally funded partnership between Yale, the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Connecticut Department of Correction to develop and implement an integrated system of addiction care for offender re-entry.
SAMHSA and BJA want to develop technical assistance materials and strategies to increase the implementation and use of MAT in the criminal justice system. MAT is the use of medications combined with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat substance use disorders.
Among those who will attend the meeting in Maryland are representatives from the criminal justice system and behavioral health treatment providers.