Training peer recovery coaches and an AI texting platform to improve buprenorphine access for Black and Latinx adults with opioid use disorder
Official title: Addressing Racial Disparities in Opioid Overdose Deaths Using an Open Source Peer Recovery Coach Training and Multimodal Mobile Health Platform
Run by Friends Research Institute, Inc. · NCT06573476 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will test whether short video training for peer recovery coaches combined with an AI-driven texting tool helps Black and Latinx adults with opioid use disorder start buprenorphine and connect to social services.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 99 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 180 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Friends Research Institute, Inc. Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (New York, New York) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | June 25, 2025 |
| Main results expected | March 1, 2027 |
| Study ends | March 15, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | May 27, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06573476 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults (≥18) who are Black and/or Latinx, fluent in English, self-report recent non-prescription opioid use and a DSM-5 diagnosis of OUD, interested in starting buprenorphine, and planning to stay in New York City for at least three months.
✕Probably not a fit
People who cannot read basic text at a third-grade level, have physical or visual disabilities that prevent mobile phone use, are not fluent in English, are not interested in starting buprenorphine, or do not plan to remain in NYC for three months may not benefit or be eligible.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
The project adapts an evidence-supported Cultural Structural Humility (CSH) training into seven brief interactive video modules for peer recovery coaches and refines an AI-driven texting tool that reinforces CSH principles focused on cultural and structural determinants of health. Using user-centered design guided by the Technology Acceptance Model, investigators will iteratively refine both the videos and the texting platform. They will then pilot a three-arm interventional test comparing PRC-supported telephone coaching plus AI-enhanced texts, AI-enhanced texts alone, and treatment-as-usual to measure feasibility and preliminary effects. Primary outcome is receipt of buprenorphine, secondary outcome is uptake of social services, and implementation metrics will be collected per the RE-AIM framework to inform a future larger efficacy trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could increase initiation of buprenorphine and improve connection to social supports among Black and Latinx people with opioid use disorder.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows peer-delivered supports and mHealth/texting interventions can improve engagement and medication uptake, but combining CSH video training with an AI-driven CSDH texting tool is a novel approach.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * ≥18 years of age * fluent in English * self-reported non-prescription opioid use \<30 days prior to consent * provision of informed consent * planned stay in NYC ≥3 months * Black and/or Latinx race/ethnicity * positive urine toxicology for opioids per EMR records or study staff administered random saliva drug testing * diagnosis of OUD per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) * self-reported interest in initiating buprenorphine in primary care, or elsewhere. Exclusion Criteria: * inability to comprehend text content written at a 3rd grade reading level * physical or visual disability preventing mobile phone use
Where it's running
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START Treatment and Recovery
New York, New York, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Ana Ventuneac, PHd
- Email: aventuneac@startny.org
- Phone: 718-260-2931
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.