The Texas Christian University (TCU) Hub is testing two different strategies to implement an Opioid Treatment Linkage Model (O-TLM). This model is designed to link individuals under community supervision with appropriate community-based treatment services. O-TLM seeks to improve interagency collaboration through staff training and cross-system data sharing. The study examines how best to implement this model, by engaging 18 sites in Illinois, New Mexico, and Texas. In half of the sites, a “vertical implementation” approach will train all program personnel within each unit simultaneously. In the remaining sites, a “horizontal implementation” approach will train one “lead-off” unit which will test and refine its procedures, and then it will train other units until the model is adopted agencywide. The goal of the study is to learn how best to implement new models of service delivery, and to discover whether individual treatment outcomes vary depending on the model used.

The TCU Hub Opioid-Treatment Linkage Model Resources were developed as part of the NIH/NIDA funded JCOIN 1.0 TCU Hub project. The materials offer best practices and innovative solutions for delivering substance use (SU) and opioid use (OU) treatment to support an optimal continuum of services. The strategies and resources presented in the guide and webinar are informed by knowledge generated from pilot studies, local community initiatives, and state and federally-funded programs; to help community corrections staff, community behavioral health (CBH) providers, and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) clinicians expand and enhance SU and OU treatment services for individuals reintegrating into communities upon release from correctional facilities.

https://ibr.tcu.edu/projects/current-projects/jcoin/