Submitted Photo Maj. Paul Olthoff, Ward County Sheriff’s Department Detention Center commander, receives a commendation Thursday, Aug. 7, from Colby Braun, North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation director, for his efforts in starting the Medication for Opioid Use Disorder treatment program at the detention center.

A Ward County Sheriff’s officer was recognized at a ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 7, for his efforts in realizing a treatment program for Ward County Detention Center inmates suffering from opioid use disorder and addiction.

Maj. Paul Olthoff, the Ward County Sheriff’s Department Detention Center commander, received the commendation from North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Director Colby Braun during a ceremony at the Ward County Administration Building for his initiative in realizing the Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) program.

The program, the first of its kind in any jail in the state, provides medication to alleviate opioid cravings and withdrawals in inmates trying to overcome their addictions.

Maj. Larry Hubbard, chief deputy in the Ward County Sheriff’s Department, said Olthoff spent two years acquiring grant funding and planning for the program, which rolled out officially at the beginning of this year. As of July, more than 65% of participants in the program have continued MOUD treatment after being released from jail, according to the Ward County Sheriff’s Department.

“They’re not committing any additional crimes and not going back to the drugs. So, that’s a hugely successful program that’s just getting going. The writing is on the wall, where you’re probably going to see it be mandated,” Hubbard said. “It’s a benefit to the people fighting this addiction, and it’s a benefit to the community. There’s really no losers in this.”