Innovative care pathways to screen and treat OUD/PTSD in jail settings
Official title: Developing and Testing Innovative Care Pathways for Screening and Treatment of OUD/PTSD in Jails
Funded at Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis · NIH-11416543 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new project will try to improve how jail-based programs screen for PTSD and OUD and link people to PTSD therapy and medications for OUD after release.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Little Rock, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,146,343 |
| NIH project number | 5R33DA059947-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11416543 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults 21 years and older with OUD/PTSD who are in jail and eligible for jail-based OUD services in Arkansas.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without OUD/PTSD or not engaged with jail-based OUD services may not benefit from this specific pathway.
What this research studies
This project focuses on adults in jail who have opioid use disorder and PTSD. It will adapt an in-jail screening and referral approach (SBIRT-J) to fit jail settings and collaborate with carceral, community, and academic partners. The plan includes evaluating how well the approach links people to PTSD therapy and MOUD after release and comparing timing strategies for PTSD treatment. The study uses a patient-centered, implementation-focused framework to test real-world effectiveness and uptake. Over six years, the goal is to improve post-release treatment engagement and reduce overdose risk.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could increase the number of people with OUD/PTSD who receive timely, evidence-based treatment after jail release, potentially reducing overdose deaths.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary research suggests PD-PTSD-focused programs can boost MOUD engagement, but this exact jail-based adaptation is novel and to be tested.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
Little Rock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zielinski, Melissa Jean — Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
- Study coordinator: Zielinski, Melissa Jean
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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.