Safety and support for people who use drugs in high-overdose neighborhoods

Integrated Safety Optimization Services for People Who Use Drugs In Targeted Areas Of High Overdose Rates

NIH-funded research New York University School of Medicine · NIH-11364670

This project offers mobile, personalized safety and support services to people who use drugs in neighborhoods with high overdose rates to help them access care and reduce harms.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionNew York University School of Medicine NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (New York, United States)
Project IDNIH-11364670 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

As someone living in a high-overdose area, this program brings mobile, flexible safety services directly to you and others who use drugs. A community health representative will talk with you about eight areas of vulnerability—emotional, physical, spiritual, social, intellectual, occupational, environmental, and financial—and help connect you to local services. The team works with community partners in hotspot cities like New York City and New Haven and follows whether people get linked to treatment such as medications for addiction. The aim is to increase access, improve retention in care, and reduce overdoses and other drug-related harms.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal participants are adults who use drugs and live in designated high-overdose 'hotspot' neighborhoods, especially those not currently engaged in addiction treatment.

Not a fit: People who live outside the targeted hotspot areas or who are already stably engaged in evidence-based treatment may not directly benefit from this specific program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, it could help more people in high-risk neighborhoods get treatment, stay in care, and experience fewer overdoses and related harms.

How similar studies have performed: Community-based linkage and harm-reduction programs have shown benefits in engaging people and reducing harms, but combining an eight-domain vulnerability screen with mobile services in overdose hotspots is relatively new.

Where this research is happening

New York, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.