About

Massachusetts Hub

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

Evaluate MOUD delivery in jail and care coordination in the community

Measure MOUD initiation, engagement, and retention in jail and in the community

Track utilization of health services, health status, and recidivism following release from jail

Identify best practices to scale-up the Chapter 208 pilot program

Estimate the economic cost of implementing MOUD programs in jail to inform policymakers

Study Sites

Study Settings

Jails (7)

Principal Investigators

Headshot of Peter Friedmann

Peter Friedmann

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

Headshot of Elizabeth Evans

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