IS
IS IT
IS IT A
IS IT A COMPLETE SUCCESS? NO. IS IT A GREAT STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? YOU COULD
ARGUE YES.
IT'S
IT'S BEEN
IT'S BEEN MORE THAN TWO YEARS SINCE THE KNOX COUNTY JAIL STARTED AN EXPERIMENTAL
PROGRAM TO GIVE A HANDFUL OF
INMATES SHOTS TO HELP THEM USE
TIME IN JAIL TO BEAT DRUG
ADDICTION. SO FAR 30
INMATES HAVE RECEIVED THE
VIVITROL SHOTS WITH MIXED
RESULTS.
4@
VIVITROL SHOTS WITH MIXED RESULTS. @
VIVITROL SHOTS WITH MIXED RESULTS. EXPERTS AGREE THE SHOTS
HELP THOSE FIGHTING ADDICTION
BUT ARE THEY THE MOST COST-
EFFECTIVE? AND DO THEY
WORK ON THEIR OWN? 10NEWS
MARC SALLINGER INVESTIGATED
THESE QUESTIONS.
4@
MARC SALLINGER INVESTIGATED THESE QUESTIONS. @
MARC SALLINGER INVESTIGATED THESE QUESTIONS. ROBIN, VIVITROL BLOCKS
THE RECEPTORS IN YOUR BRAIN SO
THAT YOU CAN'T GET HIGH FOR
NEARLY A MONTH AFTER GETTING
THE SHOT. 4@ WE'VE FOLLOWED
THE SINCE IT STARTED BACK IN
2017.
THE REVOLVING DOOR 4@SPINS FAR
TOO FAST FOR MANY ADDICTS
NATSOUND JAIL DOOR SLAMMING4@
CHARME ALLEN, KNOX COUNTY DAG
ADDICTION IS SOMETHING THAT
ONCE IT GETS AHOLD OF PEOPLE,
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT IS
EASY TO TURN AROUND. OUT ONE
DAY, BACK THE NEXT. WHIT
MADDOX, VIVITROL USER I
COULDN'T STOP USING, SO I
NEEDED TO REACH OUT FOR HELP.
INSIDE THE KNOX COUNTY JAIL
NATS4@OUND GIVING SHOTSA DRUG
CALLED VIVITROL IS MARKETED TO
INMATES AS A SHOT TO TURN
THEIR LIFE AROUND. 4@CHARME
ALLEN, KNOX COUNTY DAG HAVE WE
CURED EVERY ADDICT THAT WE
HAVE COME IN CONTACT WITH
COMPLETELY, NO. IT DEPENDS ON
HOW YOU QUANTIFY SUCCESS4@.
INMATES ARE GIVEN THEIR FIRST
DOSE WHILE INSIDE THE JAIL.
THEY'RE THEN RELEASED AND GO
THROUGH COUNSELING SESSIONS
WITH HELEN4@ ROSS MCNABB. IT
TAKES A YEAR AND A HALF TO
COMPLETE THE PROGRAM, GETTING
ONE SHOT EVERY MONTH. WE
WATCHED IN 2017 AS GREGORY FOX
WAS THE FIRST PERSON BEHIND
BARS TO BEGIN TREATMENT. 4@
NATSOUND POP GREGORYOF THE 30
INMATES THAT HAVE
PARTICIPATED, KNOX COUNTY
DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARME ALLEN
SAYS 67% ARE STILL SOBER SIX
MONTHS AFTER RECEIVING THEIR
FINAL SHOT. CHARME ALLEN, KNOX4
COUNTY DAG IT'S LIKE ANYTHING.
SOME PEOPLE4@ ARE VERY
SUCCESSFUL IN THIS PROGRAM,
SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT. TOM
SPANGLER, KNOX COUNTY SHERIFF
IT'S NOT THAT I'M SKEPTICAL,
IT'S JUST THAT WE ARE STILL
LOOKING FOR NUMBERS TO SEE 4@
WHAT IT'S GOING TO DO. FORMER
SHERIFF JJ JONES STARTED THE
PROGRAM AND IT WILL BE UP TO
SHERIFF TOM SPANGLER TO 4@DECID
WHETHER TO CONTINUE. TOM
SPANGLER, KNOX COUNTY SHERIFF
YOU'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT $1,000
PLUS FOR EACH SHOT. SO IF
YOU'RE LOOKING AT 30 SHOTS, 4@
THERE'S $30,000 RIGHT THERE
ALREADY WHEN YOU GO AND ASK
PEOPLE TO START PAYING FOR
THAT, THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY.
THE 30 INMATES WHO WERE CHOSEN
HAD ACCRUED 72 CHARGES THE
YEAR BEFORE BEGINNING THE
TREATMENT. SINCE THEN, ONLY
FOUR HAVE BEEN ARRESTED
AGAINPICKING UP 20 CHARGES
TOTAL. MOSTLY DRUG-RELATED.TOM
SPANGLER, KNOX COUNTY SHERIFF
THERE'S BEEN SOME THAT GOT
INTO THE PROGRAM AND WITHIN A
MATTER OF A PERIOD OF TIME
EITHER CAME BACK INTO OUR
FACILITY4@ FOR WHATEVER REASON.
MARC SALLINGER GREEN SCREEN
STANDUP THE PROGRAM WAS FUNDED
BY A GRANT WHICH PAID FOR THE 4@
COUNSELING SESSIONS. THE DRUG
COMPANY PROVID4@ED 360 SHOTS TO
THE JAIL FOR FREE. BUT 4@4@
VIVITROL IS COSTING THE
GOVERNMENT, AND 4@TAXPAYERS,
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN
TENNESSEE. IN 2013, TENNCARE
PAID FOR LESS THAN A MILLION
DOLLARS' WORTH OF THE DRUG. BY
2016, THE NUMBER HAD SURPASSED
12 MILLION. ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, FUELED IN PART BY
INMATES SIGNED UP TO MEDICAID,
MEDICAID SPENDING ON VIVITROL
JUMPED TO MORE THAN 200
MILLION DOLLARS IN 2017.
THAT'S UP 2,500 PERCENT SINCE
20134@. JERRY VAGNIER, HELEN
ROSS MCNABB CENTER MEDICATION
ALONE HAS PROVEN TO BE NOT
NEARLY AS SUCCESSFUL.HERE IN
KNOX COUNTY, LEADERS ATTRIBUTE
THE PROGRAMS' SUCCESS TO THE
THERAPY SESSIONS USED IN
CONJUNCTION 4@WITH THE DRUG.
JERRY VA4@GNIER, HELEN ROSS
MCNABB CENTER EVERY MONTH THEY
COME FOR ONE SHOT. IN ADDITION
TO THAT THEY COME TO INTENSIVE @
OUTPATIENT TREATMENT THREE TO
FOUR TIM4@ES A WEEK4@, THEY MEE
WITH OTHER PEOPLE IN RECOVERY
AND A PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR
TO WORK ON THEIR SKILLS AND ON
THEIR RECOVERY. MARC SALLINGER
IS THE VIVITROL PROGRAM ENOUGH
BY ITSELF TO TREAT ADDICTION?
TOM SPANGLER, KNOX COUNTY
SHERIFF4@ BY ITSELF, NO. IF YOU
DON'T HAVE THE 4@COUNSELING AND
EVERYTHING THAT GOES ALONG
WITH IT, NO IT'S NOT. 4@OTHER
ADDICTION TREATMEN4@T DRUGS LIK
BUPRENORPHINE ALSO KNOWN AS
SUBOXONE - ARE SAID TO HAVE
SIMILAR RELAPS4@E RATES, BUT AR
BUPRENORPHINE ALSO KNOWN AS SUBOXONE - ARE SAID TO HAVE SIMILAR RELAPS4@E RATES, BUT AR@
FAR CHEAPER. CHARME ALLEN,
KNOX COUNTY DAG WE WILL
CONTINUE TO DO 4@THIS PROGRAM A
LONG AS WE SEE ANY TYPE OF 4@
POSITIVE RESULT. A YEAR AFTER
WE MET GREGORY FOX IN JAIL, WE
CAUGHT UP WITH HIM ON THE
OUTSIDE IN 2018. WORKING AND
WITH A FAMILY, HE SAID THE
VIVITROL PROGRAM HAD HELPED
HIM GET HIS LIFE BACK. 4@NAT PO
GREGORYSOON AFTER4@4@CHARME 4@
ALLEN, KNOX COUNTY DAG4@ HE'S A
EXAMPLE, LIKE MANY OF OUR
PARTICIPANTS IN OUR PROGRAM,
THAT DO WELL FOR A WHILE AND
THEN THEY BACKSLIDE. HE FOUND
HIS WAY BACK TO JAIL, PICKING
UP MORE DRUG CHARGES. CHARME
ALLEN, KNOX COUNTY DAG WHAT
ARE YOU GOING TO DO THE FIRST
TIME THEY BACKSLIDE? THAT'S
SOMETHING THAT WE'VE HAD TO DO
WITH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE
30 PARTICIPANTS IN THIS
PROGRAM TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
4@4@4@4@4@4@
@4@4@4@4@4@
4@4@4@4@4@
@4@4@4@4@
THE @4@4@
THE GRANT
THE GRANT FOR THE PROG4@RA HARUN OUT 4@SO THERE ARE NO INMATES CURRENTLY
PARTICIPATING. COUNTY
LEADERS 4@APPLIED FOR MORE GRAN
MONEY, BUT IT'S UNCLEAR IF OR
WHEN THAT MONEY IS COMING.
ON OUR WEBSITE, YOU CAN FIND
MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING AN
INTERVIEW WITH 4@ANOTHER
VIVITROL USER, PERS4@PECTIVE
FROM DOCTORS AND OTHER LAW 4@