11 July, 2017
BILLERICA, Mass. - Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian today thanked the Baker Administration for
awarding the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office (MSO) a nearly $140,000 grant to continue ongoing efforts to
address the opioid epidemic in the county.
Governor Charlie Baker, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito and Executive Office of Public Safety and
Security Secretary Daniel Bennett recently announced the $139,647 award to the MSO from the Heroin
and Opioid Crime Reduction Renewal Grant. This is the second consecutive year the Administration has
awarded the grant to the MSO.
“I want to thank Gov. Baker and his administration for their continued efforts to implement and support
initiatives aimed at stemming the tide of the opioid crisis,” said Sheriff Koutoujian. “This grant will assist
our endeavors to help those individuals placed in our custody address their substance use disorders and
reduce their likelihood to recidivate.”
Funds from this grant will support the continuation of the MSO’s Medication Assisted Treatment And
Directed Opioid Recovery (MATADOR) Program, a six-month, post-release initiative. MATADOR
incorporates the use of an injectable form of Naltrexone (a non-habit forming, non-narcotic, long lasting
medication which blocks the effects of opioids), combined with counseling and support from a patient
navigator. The grant will also continue funding for two long-term treatment beds at Lowell House
designated for program participants.
Through the first 20 months of the initiative, the MSO has seen a measured impact on recidivism, with
less than 10 percent of total program participants having been convicted of a new crime.
In total, $2.3 million dollars was awarded statewide through the competitive grant program this cycle.
