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The University of Chicago Hub is conducting a multisite trial called ROMI (Reducing Opioid Mortality in Illinois) to study the effectiveness of case management approaches that link individuals with community-based treatment services upon release from jail. The ROMI intervention includes peer recovery coaches to improve linkages to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), supportive services, naloxone distribution, and harm reduction services for justice-involved individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). The study utilizes a hub-and-spoke model anchored at the University of Illinois at Chicago to help unify the delivery of OUD treatment and harm reduction services across four jails and two prisons throughout Illinois. The goal of the study is to examine the effectiveness of these case management approaches combined with peer recovery coaches to improve MOUD retention and outcomes.

Study Aims

Facilitate linkages to OUD services for justice-involved individuals on return to the community

Engage participants in OUD treatment and harm reduction strategies

Examine the efficacy of case management and peer recovery coach interventions for individuals eligible for OUD treatment

Identify implementation barriers and best practices

Study Sites

Illinois

Study Settings

Jails (4)

Prisons (2)

Principal Investigators

A smiling man with short grey hair wearing glasses and a blue and charcoal colored fleece jacket over a white shirt and black tie. He is standing in front of tall bookshelves.

Harold Pollack

PhD, University of Chicago

Portrait of a smiling woman wearing a white medical coat with a badge that reads 'The University of Chicago' and set against a beige background.

Mai Pho

MD, University of Chicago

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John Schneider

MD, MPH, University of Chicago

Health Agency Partner

  • Nicole Gastala, MD, University of Illinois at Chicago

Justice Agency Partner

  • Marianne Kelly, Cook County Sheriff's Office