Optimizing opioid treatment for people leaving prison
Official title: Optimizing Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in Prisons: Strategies for Diagnosis and Shared Decision-Making
Funded at University of Washington · NIH-11406216 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests simple screening and a small diagnostic checklist to help identify opioid use disorder in prisoners and link them to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) when they’re released.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2025 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $673,676 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA064495-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11406216 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with a history of opioid use disorder who are in or recently released from Washington state prisons.
✕Less likely to help
People without OUD or those not involved in the prison or post-release pathways may not benefit.
What this research studies
People leaving prison face a very high risk of dying from an opioid overdose, especially in the first two weeks. The team at University of Washington will test practical screening questions and a short DSM-5-based checklist to identify OUD in the prison setting. They will validate these tools in a large sample of recently released individuals and connect eligible participants to MOUD treatment to reduce relapse and overdose risk. The study focuses on implementing scalable, prison-friendly methods in Washington state to improve diagnosis and treatment engagement. Results could guide policy and practice to expand MOUD access inside and after incarceration.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could make it easier to identify and treat OUD for people leaving prison, reducing overdose deaths.
How similar studies have gone: Prior tools have been developed for non-carceral settings; this project extends validated methods to the prison context with potential for impactful gains.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Washington
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jack, Helen Elizabeth — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Jack, Helen Elizabeth
Related research
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Systems analysis to improve opioid use disorder care after jail release (SAIA-MOUD)
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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.
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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.
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.