Improving opioid treatment and overdose prevention in rural areas with mobile clinics and peer support
Official title: Data-Driven Approaches for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment, Recovery, and Overdose Prevention in Rural Communities via Mobile Health Clinics and Peer Support Services
Funded at Clemson University · NIH-11358729 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses mobile health clinics and trained peer support specialists to help people with opioid use disorder in rural communities start and stay on medication and avoid overdoses.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Clemson University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Clemson, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,150,429 |
| NIH project number | 4R33DA059892-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11358729 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people in rural or resource-limited areas who have opioid use disorder and can attend mobile clinic visits or work with peer support specialists.
✕Less likely to help
People who live outside the mobile clinic service areas, cannot attend outpatient services, or need intensive inpatient care may not benefit directly from this program.
What this research studies
You would receive care from mobile health clinics that bring medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and services directly to rural communities. Peer support specialists—people with lived experience of recovery—would help you navigate treatment, keep appointments, and address practical barriers. The team will use data-driven methods to decide where clinics go and how services are delivered and will monitor who starts and stays on MOUD and who may be at risk for overdose. Researchers will use those results to refine the mobile clinic and peer support approach for better access and safety.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could increase access to MOUD, improve treatment retention, and reduce opioid overdoses in rural communities.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research shows peer support can help people start MOUD but evidence on long-term retention and overdose reduction is mixed, so combining mobile clinics with data-driven delivery is promising but not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Clemson University
Clemson, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rennert, Lior — Clemson University
- Study coordinator: Rennert, Lior
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
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.
-
Increasing Capacity at a Native Community Clinic to Improve Opioid Care for urban AI/AN
This grant helps a Native American health clinic build its research capacity to better serve urban American Indian and Alaska Native people dealing with opioid use disorder and related health issues.
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.