As a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) nurse, Sam Oney has helped countless patients overcome addiction. She loves knowing that her work positively affects individuals, families, and the community. Her journey to working with people struggling with substance use disorder started with a loved one, so she knows the impact addiction and recovery can have on families.
“I think if you want to make an actual difference, this is the place to do it,” said Sam.
She recently sat down with us to discuss her story, career, and perspective on addiction and incarceration—a conversation that began with revisiting the moment her journey truly changed direction.
Tragedy and a Career Change
“You learn so much providing healthcare in a jail. It’s an incredible way to grow as a nurse. Being a nurse in a jail prepares you for anything you might want to do in your career.”
Sam’s dedication to helping people recover from substance use disorder is a mission catalyzed by tragedy.
"Addiction doesn't discriminate," said Sam. “I went to college on a softball scholarship, and dated a guy who was a couple of years older than me. We ended up having two children together, which put an end to my softball career. He played college football, but got hurt. They gave him a pain prescription, which led to addiction, as it does for so many. He struggled for 11 years. He was in and out of jail. In and out of rehab. In and out of treatment. I felt like there was nothing I could do apart from trying to keep myself afloat and take care of our children.”
Then the unimaginable happened.
“One night in 2010, he passed away on my couch. He died from double pneumonia and endocarditis caused by IV drug use. I had a six-year-old and a three-year-old who would now grow up without a father. That moment changed the trajectory of my life. I was tired of feeling helpless. I wanted to find a way to make a difference, so I enrolled in nursing school.”
After graduating from nursing school, Sam worked in various high-stress environments, including post-surgical care, trauma, and the ER.
"I worked in an ER at the height of COVID. As stressful as COVID was, our hospital also faced a steady stream of overdoses. Cars would pull up, drop a patient on the curb, honk, and drive away. Sometimes we saved the patient. Sometimes we couldn't. It broke my heart to see how many people addiction was taking, just like it had taken my children's father."
“Then I had an opportunity to work as a nurse in an inpatient recovery facility. The moment I started there, everything else made sense. I had found what I’m supposed to do with my life. I had found a way to make good out of the bad things that happened.”
Sam thrived at the treatment center for a while, but a leadership change marked another turning point in Sam’s life.
“A new CEO came in, and the focus shifted from patients to profit. We implemented practices that were not good for patients in recovery. We weren’t treating them the way I would want to be treated, and that’s not something I can be a part of. So, I started looking for opportunities.”
Addiction and Recovery in Jail
Sam saw a job listing for a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) nurse position with NaphCare. The opportunity aligned with her desire to help people with substance use disorder, so she applied.
“I applied and waited to see what would happen,” said Sam. “In no time at all, Kenya Lewis (Health Services Administrator at the Hamilton County Jail) contacted me. I shared about my work in the recovery center. She said I was perfect for the role because they wanted someone to take this program and develop it. So, I moved and made a fresh start. Our MAT program has been my baby ever since.”
Sam's passion has been key to expanding and normalizing addiction treatment in the Hamilton County Jail. When she joined the team, the program was limited in scope, continuing Suboxone only for patients with an existing prescription and treating about 100 people per month. In 2023, NaphCare and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office partnered to expand the program to include anyone with opioid use disorder. Now, the MAT team continues community MAT maintenance medications, initiates inductions, and collaborates with community partners to continue methadone treatment for those participating in those programs.
The program currently serves approximately four times as many people as when Sam started, helping about 400 patients each month. MAT medications are now part of the standard medication pass at the facility, helping reduce any stigma patients may feel about their treatment.
Community Impact
The community has noticed the impact Sam and the MAT team at Hamilton are making. WCPO, the ABC affiliate in Cincinnati, recently featured Donivan Dowell in an article by Senior Reporter Keith BieryGolick. BieryGolick said Dowell had overdosed five times and seemed to be following a path to tragedy when he was arrested and placed in the Hamilton County Jail.
“If I hadn’t gotten locked up that day,” Dowell said, “I’d be dead.”
BieryGolick describes Sam’s work in detail and the difference that it made in Dowell’s life and for all of Hamilton County, Ohio. The article noted that 7 out of every 10 people who overdosed and died in Hamilton County in 2023 had spent time in jail and quoted research stating that starting medications for opioid use prior to release can reduce the risk of overdose death by 75%.
According to BieryGolick, overdose deaths in Hamilton County in 2024 were at a 10-year low, with addiction treatment in the Hamilton County Jail playing a pivotal role in the significant decrease.
“I Can’t Imagine Doing Anything Else”
For Sam, working in correctional healthcare is about making an actual difference in the lives of a neglected and stigmatized community.
"We are all one bad decision away from ending up in here, at least overnight," she says. "If you really want to feel like you're doing something that matters, correctional medicine is where you should be."
In addition to making an impact, Sam finds healthcare work in corrections to be fascinating.
“You learn so much providing healthcare in a jail. It’s an incredible way to grow as a nurse. You never know what conditions you’ll treat. We’ve had people with conditions where only one in 1,000 reaches adulthood. I would never get to learn about that kind of thing in a normal nursing job, and they don’t teach these things in nursing school. Being a nurse in a jail prepares you for anything you might want to do in your career.”
“But as for me, I can't imagine doing anything else. I can't imagine being anywhere else or working with any other population."
A Legacy of Improving and Saving Lives
Sam’s children endured a lot after losing their father, but they are on a path to impact their community just as their mother has. Her daughter is graduating in May with a degree in psychology and preparing to pursue a master's degree. She hopes to work with school-aged children growing up in homes with parents in active addiction.
“My son is in college and wants to become an electrician,” said Sam. “He has played with electronics and Snap Circuits kits since he was four. He’s found his calling.”
“We’ve all been through some things, but that just rounds out our personalities. It gives us seasoning and prepares us. I haven’t been addicted, but my life showed me how addiction can take someone. The disease can change them. Just because I don’t have it doesn’t mean I’m better than them, and they deserve a chance just as much as anyone does. I love helping people get another chance.”
"I get to help give families their loved ones back—their sons, daughters, dads, or moms,” said Sam. “That means a lot and tells me I’m where I’m supposed to be."
We are grateful for Sam Oney’s work, leadership, and the incredible contribution she’s making to individuals, families, and her community.
Are you interested in learning more about how you can join NaphCare’s mission to improve and save lives? Visit our careers page to find opportunities in your area.
