Dekalb County Sheriff's Office and Armor Health Launch Medication-Assisted Treatment and Opioid Treatment Programs

New Initiative Expands Access to Opioid Treatment and Supports Long-Term Recovery

DECATUR, Ga., Oct. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dekalb County Sheriff's Office,in partnership with its correctional healthcare provider Armor Health (Armorhealthcare.com),  has launched a new Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) at the Dekalb County Jail. This forward thinking initiative is designed to combat the ongoing opioid crisis by providing individuals in custody with immediate access to evidence-based treatment and support for long-term recovery.

Under the leadership of Sheriff Melody M. Maddox and Division Director of Health Services and Medical Liason Kareem Martin, the program identifies individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) early in their detention and connects them with appropriate care without delay, aiming to disrupt the cycles of addiction and incarceration.

"This program is a game-changer for the individuals in our custody and for our wider community," said Sheriff Maddox. "By offering treatment from the moment someone enters our facility, we're giving them a real opportunity to begin recovery and and build a better future."

The program starts with a comprehensive screening for opioid use disorder at intake. If treatment is needed, it begins immediately-whether the individual is new to treatment or already enrolled in a community-based program. The goal is to provide consistent, uninterrupted care throughout their incarceration.

"Our focus is on timely, continuous treatment," said Dr. Jimmy Fernandez, Chief Medical Officer at Armor Health. "If a patient is already engaged in treatment in the community, we make sure that care continues seamlessly while they're in custody."

A key component of the program is reentry planning. The initiative ensures that when individuals leave the jail, they have a structured plan in place to continue their treatment in the community. Through coordinated "warm handoffs" to external health care providers, the program works to reduce the risks of relapse and reoffending by promoting a stable transition..

About the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office and DeKalb County Jail

Located in Decatur, Georgia, within the metropolitan Atlanta area, the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office serves over 750,000 residents in one of Georgia's largest counties. The DeKalb County Jail typically houses more than 2,000 incarcerated persons, including those awaiting trial, those who are held on bond or serving sentences for minor offenses. Committed to upholding the rights and dignity of all individuals, the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office is dedicated to public trust and safety, and advancing innovative, compassionate approaches to corrections and rehabilitation.

About Armor Health

Armor Health is a leading provider of correctional healthcare services providing quality care to  local correctional facilities across the country for more than 21 years. Every day, Armor provides evidence-based medical and behavioral health services revolutionizing the healthcare landscape utilizing its proprietary Insights Analytics, risk scoring and predictive modeling. Powered by modern AI solutions from its partnership with Antidote-AI our AI clinical tools, and our expert clinicians provide a laser focus on best-in-class interventions to deliver the right care, at the right time, in the right place to every patient we serve. 

MEDIA CONTACTS: 

Konswello Monroe
Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office
Public Information Officer
470-352-2051 
[email protected]

Cynthia Williams
Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office
Public Information Officer
678-548-3923
[email protected]   

[email protected]

SOURCE Armor Health