Community care linking people leaving jail to HIV and opioid treatment
Official title: Addressing risk through Community Treatment for Infectious disease and Opioid use disorder Now (ACTION) among justice-involved populations
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11238326 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares two ways to connect people leaving jail or prison who use opioids or are at risk for HIV to local HIV prevention/treatment and addiction services.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2020 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $322,746 |
| NIH project number | 3U01DA053039-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11238326 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults being released to the listed communities in Connecticut or Texas who have a history of opioid or injection drug use and who are living with or at risk for HIV are the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not recently incarcerated, live outside the participating counties, have no history of opioid use, or are unwilling to engage with the offered services likely would not benefit or be eligible.
What this research studies
If you are leaving jail or prison, the project will enroll about 538 people and randomly assign them to one of two approaches that help you get care after release. One approach uses patient navigators who personally link you to community HIV and opioid use disorder (OUD) services over a six-month period, and the other brings services to your area via a mobile health unit. People without HIV will be offered PrEP and people with HIV will be connected to treatment, while OUD services are coordinated alongside HIV care. The team follows participants in Connecticut and Texas and works with local agencies to improve screening, linkage, and ongoing treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help more people leaving incarceration start and stay in HIV prevention or treatment and OUD care, lowering overdose risk and HIV transmission.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier programs using patient navigators or mobile health units have improved linkage to care in some settings, but randomized comparisons in justice-involved populations remain limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Springer, Sandra Ann — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Springer, Sandra Ann
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Linking justice-involved individuals to HIV and opioid use disorder treatment
This study is looking to help people with HIV and opioid use disorder who are coming out of jail by testing two different ways to connect them to important healthcare services, so they can get the support they need to stay healthy after their release.
-
Systems analysis to improve opioid use disorder care after jail release (SAIA-MOUD)
A program to help people with opioid use disorder get better, faster, and safer care after they leave jail.
-
Precise epigenetic drugs for opioid addiction
A tiny, targeted drug approach is being developed to help people with opioid use disorder by rewriting the epigenetic signals in the brain to reduce cravings and relapse risk.
-
Increasing Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder for Unhoused Montanans
This project helps unhoused people in Montana get life-saving medicines for opioid use disorder through clinics connected to syringe service programs, a nurse-led MOUD model, and peer support.
-
Optimizing long-acting PrEP and opioid treatment for people in jails and prisons
This project tests a real-world approach to using long-acting PrEP and buprenorphine for HIV prevention and opioid treatment among incarcerated individuals and after release.
-
Scaling up medications for opioid use disorder in residential treatment programs
This grant studies how to help residential treatment programs provide medications for opioid use disorder to reduce overdoses after discharge, focusing on real-world settings and policies.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.