LA County jails tighten grip on overdose-preventing drugs

People continue to die from drug overdoses in Los Angeles County jails — yet the county’s Department of Health Services has scaled back the accessibility of opioid addiction treatment for people behind bars, writes CalMatters’ Cayla Mihalovich.

In a Sept. 16 memo obtained by CalMatters, Chief Medical Officer Sean Henderson said that Correctional Health Services will take “a pause on primary care in ordering buprenorphine,” a medication that curbs cravings and prevents overdoses. The new guidance also directs prioritizing people who first enter the jail system for treatment, and placing everyone else who wants medication on a waitlist. As of Oct. 31, over 800 people were on the waitlist.

Injectable buprenorphine costs about $1,600 per shot, with nearly 40,000 doses of buprenorphine administered in L.A. County jails since July 2022. The county sets aside about $25 million a year for the treatment program. Its Department of Health Services said the new rules — which restrict access to buprenorphine — were made “to help maximize the reach of (the) program.” The statement did not say how making it harder or having patients wait longer to access buprenorphine would positively affect the reach of the program. 

Critics argue the policy shift is dangerous, and that delaying treatment can lead to more fatal overdoses. 

• A physician from the Correctional Health Services who spoke with CalMatters on the condition of anonymity: “Patients are begging me for help. I’m on edge, waiting to see if someone is going to die.”

The change comes as the state is suing L.A. County over the poor conditions of its jails and the high rate of in-custody deaths. Overdoses have made up 28% of jail deaths this year, compared to 9% in 2016, according to a September memo from the director of the county’s correctional health services.

Read more here.

In other justice news: Detainees at an immigration detention center in California City are suing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, alleging that they are experiencing inhumane conditions. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court, alleges that the facility is infested with bugs and denies people access to food, water and their lawyers. A former shuttered prison, the facility has served as an ICE immigration detention center since August, and is run by the private prison company CoreCivic. Read more from CalMatters’ Nigel Duara and Cayla.

From CalMatters economy reporter Levi Sumagaysay:

As L.A.-area fire survivors complain about insurance-claim delays and denials, the county on Thursday launched an investigation into State Farm’s handling of its policyholders’ claims. It is the second government probe into the insurer this year in California.

The county told State Farm that if it is “engaging in any unlawful or unfair business practices,” it should stop, according to a letter from County Counsel Dawyn Harrison. The county also asked the insurer for detailed information, including about all claims filed related to the January fires, as well as its practices related to smoke damage and insurance adjusters.

State Farm said in a statement that this probe by the county “will be another distraction from our ongoing work in California to help our customers recover from this tragedy.” It said it has been cooperating with the earlier investigation launched by the state Insurance Department in June.

Fire survivors complain the state’s investigation is taking too long, and last week called on Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to resign.

California’s leading state senator, Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, is making a bid for Congress following the end of his 12-year term limit next year, writes CalMatters’ Maya C. Miller.

The Santa Rosa Democrat seeks to represent California’s 1st District — one of the districts that has been drastically redrawn under Proposition 50 to favor Democrats. 

During his time in the Legislature, McGuire focused on wildfire prevention after wildfires in Sonoma and Napa counties destroyed thousands of homes and claimed dozens of lives in 2017. In one of the state’s budget bills this year, he also secured the most “pork-barrel” earmarks for local projects in his district.

The 1st District has been comfortably held by Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, who has represented the northern part of the state in Congress since 2013. For his support of President Donald Trump’s recent budget bill, which guts Medicaid spending by more than $1.1 trillion over 10 years, constituents slammed LaMalfa in August over a move they said will harm rural hospitals and residents.

Read more here.

On Thursday the state released the latest update to its California School Dashboard — a color-coded guide for the public to understand how well K-12 schools are performing. Though a record number of students who graduated last year were considered prepared for college and the job market, other Dashboard measurements were lackluster. Read more from CalMatters’ Carolyn Jones.