Peer-led support for people who use drugs after hospital discharge
Official title: THRIVE: Teaching Health promotion and Resilience in Varied Environments: a peer-led intervention following hospital discharge
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11364494 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A 12-week peer-led program to help people who use drugs stay safer and healthier after leaving the hospital.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $757,898 |
| NIH project number | 4R01DA057633-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11364494 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults who use drugs who are being discharged from a hospital or emergency department and can receive texts or access electronic content.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not use drugs, cannot be contacted after discharge, or have conditions that prevent participation (for example severe cognitive impairment) are unlikely to benefit.
What this research studies
You would meet a peer with lived experience around the time you leave the hospital or emergency department, then get weekly text messages and electronic materials for 12 weeks to reinforce what you talked about. The program content was co-created with people who use drugs and is based on behavior-change models, then tailored to patients using a human-centered design process. The team will work with hospital and ED staff to make the program practical and acceptable in those clinical settings. The goal is to change behaviors that lead to overdose and injection-related harms.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this program could lower overdose and infection risks and help people who use drugs stay healthier after a hospital visit.
How similar studies have gone: Previous peer-support and text-message interventions have shown promise in reducing risky behaviors, but a tailored, hospital-delivered bundle like this is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wilson, Jacqueline Deanna — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Wilson, Jacqueline Deanna
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THRIVE: peer-led health promotion after hospital discharge to help people who use drugs
A peer-led program delivered after hospital discharge to help people who use drugs reduce health risks and improve behaviors.
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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.