A 2018 Massachusetts law (“Chapter 208”) established a 4-year pilot program to expand the use of all FDA-approved forms of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) at five county jails; two additional jails voluntarily joined this pilot. The law stipulates that MOUD be maintained in individuals who were already receiving it prior to detention; initiated prior to release from jail when appropriate; and continued in the community via facilitated linkages to local services after release. The Massachusetts Hub will conduct a longitudinal treatment outcome study of individuals in these jails to examine MOUD initiation, engagement and retention, as well as fatal and non-fatal overdose and recidivism. The study will also identify strategies associated with the successful implementation of MOUD.
Study Aims
Study Sites
Study Settings
Principal Investigators

Peter Friedmann
MD, MPH, DFASAM, FACP, University of Massachusetts Medical School – Baystate

Elizabeth Evans
PhD, MA, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Health Agency Partner
- Dana Bernson, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Justice Agency Partners
- Kashif Siddiqi, Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office