Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge John M. Durkin serves as a panelist for Project ECHO.

Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge John M. Durkin serves as a panelist for Project ECHO.

The Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative – eight states including Ohio fighting the opioid crisis together – is rolling out Project ECHO.

The Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) is connecting medical experts with judges so that decisions from the bench will better reflect the science of drug addiction, especially the effects of opioid abuse on the brains of offenders.

Project ECHO will employ remote roundtable discussions involving doctors, medical researchers and other health professionals via remote technology.

Each RJOI state will have its own group of participating judges. In Ohio, 10 judges signed up for the training that began Nov. 4 and the sessions run through January, via Zoom.

Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor has selected Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge John M. Durkin to serve as a panelist.

“The state of Ohio’s judiciary, particularly Chief Justice O’Connor, have been at the forefront of addressing the opioid epidemic,” Judge Durkin said.

“The Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative (RJOI) is a prime example of the benefits that can be achieved when key stakeholders are brought together, and Project ECHO is a big next step,” he said.

Topics will include:

• Opioid use disorder and medication
• Evidence-based screening and assessment for opioid disorders
• Evidence-based outcomes and research focused on criminal justice populations and medications for opioid use disorder
• Abuse of multiple drugs and alcohol and the management of relapses
• Medication for Opioid Use Disorders (MOUD) treatment to improve long-term recovery
• Improving long-term recovery from opioid abuse in special populations, including pregnancy women, adolescents, and post-surgery patients.

RJOI was convened by Chief Justice O’Connor in 2016. The member states are Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.