Continuity of Care for Drug-Addicted Offenders in RI

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This cooperative agreement application proposes to develop a Rhode Island Research Center to participate in NIDA's National Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Services Research System (CJ-DATS). The mission behind the CJ-DATS is to improve the public safety, drug-related, public health, health and psychosocial outcomes of drug-involved offenders. Thus, this application aims to develop research infrastructure to support rigorous, multisite studies of integrated approaches to the treatment of individuals with drug abuse or addictive disorders, including models of treatment in jail or prison and as part of community re-entry; to support research on continuity of care models integrated with re-entry programs for drug-involved offenders returning to their communities, including services for health problems such as HIV, tuberculosis, or hepatitis infections and mental health problems; and to enrich the collaborations among the criminal justice, treatment, and academic communities in Rhode Island. Our Research Center will build on the strong, existing clinical and research partnerships among the Lifespan Hospitals/Brown University investigators, the Department of Corrections and 4 community addiction treatment programs already situated in the Rhode Island prison. These 4 programs deliver a comprehensive range of treatment modalities and ancillary services. The Rhode Island Research Center offers at least 4 specific advantages to the National CJ-DATS Cooperative: (1) Investigators and treatment partners with substantial research and clinical experience regarding the organization and integration of substance abuse treatment and health services, especially continuity of care models for community re-entry of inmates afflicted with health problems such as HIV, tuberculosis, or hepatitis infections, and mental health disorders; (2) Strong, existing ties among the Rhode Island partners from prior collaborative research and clinical endeavors; (3) A small state with a unified correctional system, all divisions and facilities on a single campus and an administration highly supportive of research; and (4) An accessible population of addicted persons in which we have achieved high rates of enrollment and follow-up in prior investigations. The Rhode Island Research Center would lead rigorous multisite studies that draw on our expertise in the development, delivery and evaluation of linkages to community health services, with an initial focus on hepatitis C and methadone treatment.