Helping people leaving prison with substance use get connected to healthcare
Official title: Health systems innovations for supporting transitions of care for incarcerated people living with substance use disorders
Funded at University of Wisconsin-Madison · NIH-11348910 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tries a nurse-led program that starts before release and continues after to help adults with substance use histories leaving prison connect to medical and addiction care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2019 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,094,032 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA047889-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11348910 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults incarcerated in participating state prisons who have a history of substance use disorder and are approaching release are the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not incarcerated, are under 21, or do not have a history of substance use are unlikely to be eligible or benefit from this program.
What this research studies
You would be assigned either to a nurse-led program called CJC-TraC or to enhanced usual care, and the team will follow what happens after you leave prison. CJC-TraC uses in-person meetings before release and phone-based nurse case management after release to set up appointments, medications, and care plans. The research is a two-arm randomized trial enrolling incarcerated adults with a history of substance use and comparing outcomes between the two groups. The team previously ran a pilot in two Wisconsin prisons that showed more people visited outpatient care soon after release.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help people leaving prison get faster access to outpatient and addiction treatment and lower health risks after release.
How similar studies have gone: A prior single-arm pilot of the same nurse case management program in two Wisconsin prisons nearly doubled the rate of outpatient visits after release, but this randomized trial will provide stronger evidence.
Where this research is happening
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University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Westergaard, Ryan Patrick — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: Westergaard, Ryan Patrick
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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.