Posts by Saman
Suicide Mortality Among Formerly Incarcerated People Compared with the General Population in North Carolina, 2000-2020
We aimed to compare rates and characteristics of suicide mortality in formerly incarcerated people with those of the general population in North Carolina. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 266,400 people released from North Carolina state prisons between January 1, 2000, and March 1, 2020. Using direct and indirect standardization by age, sex, and…
Read More“Expected to happen”: perspectives on post-release overdose from recently incarcerated people with opioid use disorder
Opioid-related overdose is the leading cause of death for people recently released from incarceration, however treatment with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) during incarceration can reduce the mortality risk. This study seeks to qualitatively analyze perceptions of post-release overdose risk from the perspectives of people who received MOUD while incarcerated in one of eight…
Read MoreKnowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs About Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in Primary Care
Attitudes toward and training in medications for opioid use disorders: a descriptive analysis among employees in the youth legal system and community mental health centers
Research demonstrates gaps in medications for opioid use disorder uptake (MOUDs; methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone) especially among adolescents. These gaps may be partly attributable to attitudes about and training in MOUDs among youth-serving professionals. We extended prior research by conducting descriptive analyses of attitudes regarding effectiveness and acceptability of MOUDs, as well as training in…
Read MoreExamining the Impact of the Innovative Opioid Court Model on Treatment Access and Court Outcomes for Court Participants
The opioid intervention court (OIC) is an innovative, pre-plea treatment court to facilitate rapid linkage to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) for people at risk of overdose. This study compares participants in OIC and participants with opioid use problems in a traditional drug treatment court model on (i) initiation for any substance use (SU)…
Read MoreEarly development of local data dashboards to depict the substance use care cascade for youth involved in the legal system: qualitative findings from end users
Rates of substance use are high among youth involved in the legal system (YILS); however, YILS are less likely to initiate and complete substance use treatment compared to their non legally-involved peers. There are multiple steps involved in connecting youth to needed services, from screening and referral within the juvenile legal system to treatment initiation…
Read MorePost-overdose Pathways to Buprenorphine Initiation: A Pragmatic Trial of Treatment Delivered in the Field (076)
Emergency medical services’ (EMS) administration of naloxone combined with transport to the emergency department (ED) to receive MOUD has emerged as a prominent post-overdose response strategy. However, this approach does not account for the large number of patients who are not transported and therefore miss the opportunity to receive treatment. This gap in the pathway…
Read MoreEvaluating a Mobile Health Unit’s Methadone Dosing Services to Address Health Disparities (075)
Wide-ranging strategies to improve OUD treatment engagement and retention for those in the criminal-legal system are needed, particularly for improving transitions across systems of care. Use of mobile health units (MHUs) to provide low-barrier healthcare services is an innovative delivery model with strong potential benefits for individuals with criminal-legal involvement. However, evaluation of MHUs that…
Read MoreIdentifying MOUD Critical Access Units (074)
Medication opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment is the first-line approach to the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). This analysis seeks to identify “critical access” MOUD facilities that ensure geographic access for MOUD patients. We use locational data from two public-use data sources: SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator and DATA 2000 waiver buprenorphine providers.…
Read MoreRecent Publications from LEAP Investigators & Scholars
Locked In and Left Out: The “Prison Penalty” for Implementation of Evidence-Based Interventions By Justin Berk, Hannah E. Frank & Mari-Lynn Drainoni Clinical practices are often outdated, decades behind the newest evidence-based interventions (EBIs). It takes an average of 17 years between validating an EBI and incorporating it into clinical practice, with more than 80%…
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