Wyatt To Give Detainees Opioid Use Treatment

CENTRAL FALLS, RI — Those struggling with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) will get treatment for it while in custody at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, attorney Zachary A. Cunha said Monday.

The Wyatt Facility wasn't giving its detainees the medication or medical diagnoses they needed to continue OUD treatment, essentially forcing them to undergo withdrawal, which can have dire consequences.

Since OUD is considered a disability, Wyatt's failure to keep treating detainees for the disorder violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, a probe by the U.S. Attorney's Office determined.

Wyatt has agreed to provide the medications and other treatment its detainees were prescribed before entering the facility.

“Efforts to combat substance abuse and opioid deaths require every tool at our disposal,” Cunha said. “That means not just vigorous and targeted law enforcement, but also sensible and humane treatment that provides a bridge to recovery."