Screening and offering PTSD therapy to help jailed adults with opioid addiction
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-11369239 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project offers PTSD screening and therapy in jails to help adults with opioid use disorder begin and stay on medication treatment 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 | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,146,403 |
| NIH project number | 4R33DA059947-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11369239 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults in participating jails who have opioid use disorder and symptoms or a diagnosis of PTSD, especially those approaching release, are the intended candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without opioid use disorder or PTSD, those under 21, or people detained in jails not taking part in the program may not receive benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you are an adult jailed with opioid use disorder, researchers will work with jail and community providers to adapt a PTSD screening and referral program that fits the jail setting. A coalition of jail staff, community treatment providers, and researchers will tailor the SBIRT model for PTSD in jails and pilot that approach. People who qualify will be randomly assigned to different timing models for PTSD therapy to see which approach best links them to PTSD care and to medications for opioid use disorder after release. The team will track treatment starts, continued engagement after release, and how well the program can be put into practice.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more people leaving jail could start and keep lifesaving opioid medications and get PTSD therapy, which may lower overdose and improve recovery.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows jail-based medications for opioid use disorder can reduce harm and that PTSD treatment can increase addiction treatment engagement, but combining jail-tailored PTSD therapy with MOUD linkage is a new approach that has not been 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.