Funded Projects

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Translating Research to Practice to End the Overdose Crisis (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-053
Summary:

The overdose crisis has expanded rapidly among adolescent populations in recent years, largely due to illicit substances containing lethal amounts of the highly potent synthetic opioid fentanyl. However, a provider shortage limits access to effective treatment for adolescents with opioid use disorder and other substance use disorders (SUD). Although primary care is a promising setting for expanding delivery of SUD treatment to adolescents, many primary care providers lack the training, resources, and support systems to deliver these services confidently and effectively. This project will leverage a large-scale rollout of integrated behavioral health care in a statewide health system. The research will test whether embedding behavioral health specialists into primary care visits, introducing case management and electronic clinical decision support tools, and reducing stigma will increase delivery of SUD treatment to adolescents.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Translating Research to Practice to End the Overdose Crisis (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-053
Summary:

People who survive sexual violence are at increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and opioid misuse. Emergency departments are often the first, and in some cases only, contact with the medical care system for survivors of sexual violence. This makes them a suitable setting to initiate interventions to address the risk of PTSD and opioid misuse in these individuals. This project will develop and test a brief, low-cost video and text message intervention that can be initiated in the emergency department to prevent onset or escalation of PTSD and opioid misuse among people who survive sexual violence.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Translating Research to Practice to End the Overdose Crisis (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-053
Summary:

Although medication-based treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) can effectively reduce overdose risk and improve health outcomes, most people discontinue treatment too soon. Peer support specialists, who are individuals with direct experience with a substance use disorder, can offer social support to help individuals with OUD overcome barriers to treatment and recovery. This project will develop, deliver, and evaluate an innovative peer support specialist intervention to help individuals begin and stay in a treatment program. The research will focus on rural populations and underserved communities, using a dynamic modeling framework to prioritize at-risk communities for treatment offered through mobile health clinics.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Translating Research to Practice to End the Overdose Crisis (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-053
Summary:

People who work in harm reduction settings aiming to keep people with substance use disorders safe from overdose and other negative health outcomes are exposed to high rates of lifetime and occupational stress and trauma. Their work conditions can have adverse effects on patient care and also on their own well-being, such as unmet mental health needs, burnout, and relapse. This project will adapt the Stress First Aid intervention for harm reduction workers. The research will test the impact of this intervention on social support, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, use of mental health care, engagement, and turnover. The long-term goal of this work is to implement a sustainable and effective national occupational stress intervention for harm reduction workers to strengthen their important role in helping individuals get treatment and avoid overdose.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: HEAL Data2Action – Innovation and Acceleration Projects, Phased Awards (R61/R33, Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-057
Summary:

Emergency departments (EDs) are key settings for identifying and treating opioid use disorder (OUD), but EDs are underused for this purpose. This project aims to develop a data system that automates and integrates electronic health record and administrative data from EDs into the Clinical Emergency Department Registry, partnering with the American College of Emergency Physicians. The research will assess the digital readiness of ED systems before developing and deploying the enhanced ED OUD data infrastructure. This research aims to guide near-real time hospital quality improvement initiatives, toward development of a web-based, near-real time dashboard that can be used in EDs across the country.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: HEAL Data2Action – Innovation and Acceleration Projects, Phased Awards (R61/R33, Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-057
Summary:

Oregon ranks last in the United States for access to substance use services, having passed a novel ballot measure bringing unprecedented funding levels to expand services and decriminalize possession of personal amounts of substances. This project will develop and evaluate a strategy to inform development of the policy. Cross-sector participants (e.g., community service providers, law enforcement, advocates) will co-design protocols for linking and distributing substance use service data through reports, simulations, and dashboards. This research will test the usability of the developed products and their impact of DDS on service gaps, evidence-based decision-making, quality of evidence-based services, service recipient outcomes, and cross-sector collaboration. The research will also help state decision makers implement strategies for other substance use policies.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Translating Research to Practice to End the Overdose Crisis (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-053
Summary:

People who inject drugs often have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Co-occurring PTSD puts these individuals at increased risk of illicit opioid use, opioid use disorder, overdose, HIV, and hepatitis C virus infection. This project will adapt, with input from the community, an evidence-based PTSD treatment program for people with both opioid use disorder and PTSD who are participating in a syringe service program. The treatment will then be tested in multiple syringe service programs to determine its potential for improving outcomes for these individuals who are often marginalized in traditional care.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: HEAL Data2Action Innovation Projects (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-22-051
Summary:

During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration relaxed regulations for take-home dosing of methadone, offering an opportunity to improve methadone treatment access and address racial and ethnic disparities. This project aims to address regulatory, legal liability, and financial concerns related to clinical practice changes in opioid treatment programs. The project will first review state administrative data and conduct qualitative interviews to inform the intervention approach. The project will then evaluate an opioid treatment program intervention involving take-home methadone and its effect on take-home dosing, retention in care, and health outcomes for Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino individuals who take methadone for opioid use disorder.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: HEAL Data2Action Innovation Projects (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-22-051
Summary:

Maternal opioid use disorder is the leading cause of death for women who die within a year of giving birth. Many pregnant women do not have access to prenatal care and medications known to be standard of care for opioid use disorder. This project will create, measure, and evaluate costs for an interactive dashboard that collects and analyzes data about maternal, newborn, and infant outcomes for pregnancies affected by opioid use disorder. This research will also monitor mothers’ use of medications for opioid use disorder and the number of infants born with neonatal withdrawal syndrome that require medication treatment.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: HEAL Data2Action – Innovation and Acceleration Projects, Phased Awards (R61/R33, Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-057
Summary:

Health services for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) are fragmented in west Chicago, an epicenter for overdose deaths. This project will develop a data-driven opioid response plan involving key partners. These include local health departments, community organizations, health care systems, and people with lived experience. The research will develop a digital screening tool for OUD that can be used in hospitals and their emergency departments. The tool will be built from machine learning of data from electronic health records, the prescription drug monitoring program, and patient-reported measures. The research will test the value of the screening tool for connecting people to treatment and preventing fatal overdoses mortality in local neighborhoods.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: HEAL Data2Action Innovation Projects (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-22-051
Summary:

This project will use a data-to-action framework to guide implementation of opioid use disorder treatment and harm reduction interventions based on rapid data analysis. It will leverage existing data systems such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS) reports, mobile integrated health case management data, and medical examiner data for near real-time data analyses, visualization, and action planning. This research will collect a range of data (opioid treatment, use of acute care services, morbidity, mortality, incarceration, housing support, and cost benefits) from a sub-acute stabilization center for people at high risk for opioid overdose, including those who have recently overdosed and are referred and transported by EMS teams.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Advancing Health Equity in Pain and Comorbidities (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: RFA-NS-22-037
Summary:

More than half of children and adolescents diagnosed with a type of cancer called bone sarcoma experience pain that interferes with daily life. This project will adapt an evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy mobile app for use with Black and Hispanic adolescents who disproportionately experience pain from this cancer, putting them at risk for opioid misuse. Once fully adapted, this therapy will be paired with a remotely delivered brain stimulation treatment (transcranial direct current stimulation). This research will also examine the impact of patient-reported conditions such as depression, anxiety, and sleep problems, as well as of various social determinants of health, on pain.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Advancing Health Equity in Pain and Comorbidities (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: RFA-NS-22-037
Summary:

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder affecting about 100,000 Americans and more than 20 million people worldwide. It is caused by a mutation in the gene for beta-globin that results in the characteristic sickled shape of red blood cells, life-long severe pain, and shortened lifespan. Optimal treatment of  chronic pain from the condition targets psychological factors contributing to pain, such as pain-related anxiety, fear of movement, and depression. This project will interact with patients and their families to revise and test an existing mind–body and behavioral health treatment tool to target the unique needs and preferences of people managing chronic sickle cell disease pain.