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Students from the Physician Assistant (PA) program and the College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) recently volunteered to put together an education program on Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) for corrections officers at the Cumberland County Jail.

MAT is the use of anti-craving medication, along with comprehensive therapy and support, for people with substance use disorder (SUD).

Jail officials have been offering MAT to pregnant women and will now be implementing it for the rest of the population using a federal grant.

“One thing we realized is that our staff had little knowledge about MAT or what it would mean for our facility,” said Arlene Jacques, director of educational services at the jail. “The ����ֱ�� students helped us by researching, then developing a staff-friendly presentation that could be shown in our shift roll call.”

Second year PA students Arianna Parent, Jasmine Edwards, Alexander Vining, and Kristin Gallagher, along with Kristin DeMayo (D.O., ’22) and Ivy Ngo (D.O., ’23), put together a PowerPoint presentation on MAT and videotaped their presentation.

The students had planned to make their presentation in-person, but the coronavirus outbreak prevented that.

“I am hoping that the video presentation is just as effective as an in-person visit would have been,” Edwards stated. “We wanted to avoid making them just scroll through PowerPoint information. I am hoping the video will promote some engagement around the topic.”

The curriculum put together by the students is designed to provide information and to reduce the stigma and myths surrounding SUD and MAT.

“We took a look at what may predispose people to SUD, talked about the stigma surrounding it, and how that can affect somebody's ability to get treatment,” Parent explained. “People want to feel safe enough to get treatment and don’t want to be judged for it. So, it is combating stigma surrounding SUD.”

DeMayo added, “We wanted to teach them what MAT is and why it may be beneficial for the inmates. A lot of problems in healthcare arise from just a lack of understanding. I've always been very empathetic.”

Through their research into the topic, students say the project turned into a worthwhile educational experience for themselves.

“This was a really a fabulous learning opportunity for me because we did so much research and really dug into it,” Parent commented. “The project was about educating others and ourselves and trying to make a difference.”

Trisha Mason, M.A., director of the WCHP Office of Service Learning, says not being able to present the curriculum in-person at the jail created some challenges for the students.

“Despite the unforeseen and unprecedented circumstances, it was a very dedicated and thoughtful group of students who worked tirelessly to fine tune the educational videos to meet the needs and culture within the jail,” she said.

The WCHP Office of Service Learning has had a close working relationship with the Cumberland County Jail for nearly 10 years through programs for both inmates and officers.

“I cannot tell you how appreciative we are to have this partnership with ����ֱ�� and their most dedicated students and faculty,” Jacques stated “It is a lot of work on their part and this is probably the toughest audience the students could face, yet they still volunteer their time and energy.”