Research & Other Publications
Inpatient addiction consult services in Massachusetts: Insights and recommendations from six model programs
Access & Equity
The inpatient hospital setting is a potential intervention point where people at risk for overdose can be identified and connected to evidence-based treatment and harm reduction services. Inpatient addiction consult service (ACS) programs are a well-established approach for this, and have been shown to improve patient and provider satisfaction, increase patient engagement in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment post-discharge, and reduce readmissions, among other outcomes. Despite the strong evidence base, there remains an implementation gap, and ACS programs are not offered in many hospital settings.
Though there are published reports of some programs, there is a need for more detailed accounts of ACS implementation in a range of contexts. In this report, the Institute for Community Health provides case studies of six ACS programs at hospitals of different types and sizes across Massachusetts, as well as cross-cutting themes and recommendations.
Facilitating Collective Action to Face the Opioid Overdose Crisis in Massachusetts
Access & Equity, Workforce
Presented by: Julie Burns, Sarah Merrefield, Livia Davis, Maryanne Frangules
Citation: Julie Burns, Sarah Merrefield, Livia Davis and Maryanne Frangules. “Facilitating Collective Action to Face the Opioid Overdose Crisis in Massachusetts”. Presented at the 2022 RX and Illicit Drug Summit in Atlanta, GA.
Learning from Lived Experience: Understanding Barriers to OUD Recovery
Access & Equity, Workforce
While concerted efforts across the state have removed several barriers to accessing treatment services for opioid use disorder (OUD), many persist and have been brought to the forefront by the COVID-19 pandemic, the continuing opioid epidemic, and increased awareness of disproportionate impact of both on Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
This paper, produced in collaboration with C4 Innovations, seeks to address this gap by examining the barriers to OUD care from the perspective of the people most affected – those who have OUD. It centers their perspectives, challenges, successes, and recommendations, in their own words. By sharing their nuanced and varied experiences, RIZE hopes to further expand and enhance understandings of barriers to OUD care.
Racial disparities and the role of prescriber networks in the development and sustaining of buprenorphine prescribing by waivered physicians for OUD treatment in Massachusetts communities
Access & Equity
This research conducted by Brandeis University’s Institute for Behavioral Health explored how isolated physician networks can negatively impact care coordination and information sharing among physicians. The goal was to understand the role provider networks play in perpetuating racial disparities in prescribing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).
Strategies for engaging and retaining vulnerable patients in OUD treatment programs
Access & Equity, Harm Reduction, Workforce
Presented by: Ranjani Paradise, Allyson Pinkhover, Gargi Cooper, Joe Wright, Anthony Lundi
Citation: R Paradise, A Pinkhover, G Cooper, J Wright, A Lundi, “Strategies for engaging and retaining vulnerable patients in OUD treatment programs”, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers: Community Health Institute 2021 (virtual panel presentation).
Engaging marginalized people in MOUD: harm reduction, relationships, and outreach
Access & Equity, Harm Reduction, Workforce
Presented by: Ceylon Auguste-Nelson, Sharon Touw, Ranjani Paradise, Kristopher Bennett, Gargi Cooper, Jessie Gaeta, Sarah Wakeman, Julie Burns
Citation: Ceylon Auguste-Nelson, Sharon Touw, Ranjani Paradise, Kristopher Bennett, Gargi Cooper, Jessie Gaeta, Sarah Wakeman, Julie Burns. “Engaging marginalized people in MOUD: harm reduction, relationships, and outreach,” presented at the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) 2021 Virtual Conference (poster), virtual.
Development and Implementation of a COVID Recuperation Unit at Boston Medical Center for People Experiencing Homelessness
Access & Equity, Harm Reduction
Boston Medical Center published a paper with support from RIZE describing their COVID Recuperation Unit – a respite facility for people experiencing homelessness and infected with COVID-19 (in operation from April to June 2020). In this publication, the authors describe their experience designing and operating this facility, with a focus on caring for patients with substance use and mental health disorders.
Preventing overdose from the inside, out: A case presentation from a novel OBAT reentry program
Access & Equity, Harm Reduction
Presented by: Allyson Pinkhover, Kelly Celata
Citation: Allyson Pinkhover, Kelly Celata. “Preventing overdose from the inside, out: A case presentation from a novel OBAT reentry program” presented at Association of Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction (AMERSA) Annual Meeting 2020 (poster), virtual.
Community-driven strategies for engaging vulnerable groups in low threshold opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment
Access & Equity, Harm Reduction
Presented by: Allyson Pinkhover, Ceylon Auguste-Nelson, Sharon Touw, Kristopher Bennett, Kelly Celata, Julie Burns, Ranjani Paradise
Citation: Allyson Pinkhover, Ceylon Auguste-Nelson, Sharon Touw, Kristopher Bennett, Kelly Celata, Julie Burns, and Ranjani Paradise. “Community-driven strategies for engaging vulnerable groups in low threshold opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment”, presented at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting 2020 (poster), virtual.
Using the Cascade of Care Model as a Framework for Evaluating Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Programs: Opportunities and Challenges
Access & Equity, Workforce
Presented by: Ranjani K. Paradise, Ceylon Auguste-Nelson, Sharon Touw
Citation: Ranjani K. Paradise, Ceylon Auguste-Nelson, Sharon Touw. “Using the Cascade of Care Model as a Framework for Evaluating Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Programs: Opportunities and Challenges”, Presented at the 2019 American Evaluation Association Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN.
Addressing the Opioid Crisis in Small and Rural Communities in Western Massachusetts
Access & Equity, Workforce
A report from the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum at Brandeis University details the unique challenges facing Western Massachusetts communities in the fight against addiction and offers support for innovative and proven solutions. The findings were presented at a forum at UMass Amherst.
Opportunities to Increase Screening & Treatment of OUD Among Healthcare Professionals
Access & Equity, Workforce
Shatterproof, RIZE, and GE Foundation released a survey on Massachusetts healthcare professionals and stigma around screening, treating patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). The research found that stigma extends to the provider community.
Recovery Coaches in Opioid Use Disorder Care
Workforce
Research conducted by the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Center for Health Law and Economics studied the role of recovery coaches and their effectiveness in opioid use disorder (OUD) care. This research identified opportunities and challenges related to the use of recovery coaches in different settings and provided findings, best practices, and policy recommendations that are useful to Massachusetts providers, payers, policymakers, state agencies, and researchers.
The Massachusetts Opioid Epidemic: An Issue of Substance
The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation together with RIZE created a first-of-its-kind report that quantifies the negative economic impact of the opioid epidemic on the economy. The report includes important information on the cost of the epidemic to employers and employees, the health care system, and state and municipal budgets.