Community-driven recovery support in areas with high opioid overdoses
Community Driven Substance Use Recovery for High Opioid Overdose Areas
This program brings a faith-based recovery and harm-reduction program into churches to help people with opioid or alcohol problems in communities hit hardest by overdoses.
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 ID | NIH-11094882 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be offered support through the Imani Breakthrough program, a faith-centered, person-focused recovery approach run in local churches by trained community members with lived experience. The program uses education, mutual support, intensive wraparound services, and referrals to medication for addiction treatment (MAT) while addressing social and spiritual needs across multiple wellness areas. It was developed with community members and aims to increase treatment initiation, engagement, and adherence in places where overdose rates are high and services are limited. Activities are delivered locally through church-based sessions and community outreach tied to Yale's project team.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People living in high-overdose communities who are experiencing opioid use disorder or alcohol use disorder, especially those connected to local churches or faith communities, would be ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People who live outside the targeted communities, who do not want faith-based or community-delivered care, or who need immediate inpatient medical stabilization may not benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could increase access to treatment, improve ongoing recovery support, and reduce overdose deaths in hard-hit communities.
How similar studies have performed: Community- and faith-based recovery programs have shown promise for improving engagement and referrals to treatment, but large-scale rigorous evidence is still limited.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bellamy, Chyrell Denise — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Bellamy, Chyrell Denise
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 below.