Medicaid coverage of reentry health supports for opioid use disorder after prison release
Official title: Medicaid Coverage of Behavioral Health Supports for Opioid Use Disorder During Post-Incarceration Reentry
Funded at Baystate Medical Center, INC. · NIH-11408810 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A mentored research grant explores how Medicaid-backed post-incarceration health navigation and social-linkage services affect care and outcomes for people with opioid use disorder after they leave prison.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baystate Medical Center, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Springfield, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $186,633 |
| NIH project number | 5K08DA063862-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11408810 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with opioid use disorder who are leaving incarceration and are Medicaid-eligible or have Medicaid coverage in Massachusetts.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without OUD, without imminent reentry, or those not on Medicaid may see little direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project uses Massachusetts’ BH-JI program as a real-world case to study how care navigation and social supports impact healthcare use, costs, and overdose outcomes for people with OUD after release. It combines numbers and interviews to understand what works when these services are scaled up across counties. The goal is to identify how Medicaid funding can sustain effective post-release care for justice-involved individuals struggling with OUD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could guide policies and programs to reduce overdoses and improve access to treatment for people reentering the community after incarceration.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows care navigation can improve access to services, but evidence on large-scale post-incarceration models remains limited and ongoing.
Where this research is happening
-
Baystate Medical Center, INC.
Springfield, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bovell-Ammon, Benjamin Jared — Baystate Medical Center, INC.
- Study coordinator: Bovell-Ammon, Benjamin Jared
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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.