Removing Barriers: Community Partnering for Innovative Solutions to the Opioid Crisis
RB
1 other identifier
interventional
800
1 country
2
Brief Summary
The opioid epidemic has become one of America's deadliest crises, surpassing car crashes, firearms, and HIV/AIDS as a leading cause of death for Americans under fifty years of age. People trying to recover from opioid-use disorder face many obstacles. Obstacles such as minor legal problems (e.g., arrest warrants for failure to pay a fine, failure to appear in court, or late child support payments) can undermine the stability needed to overcome opioid dependence. Outstanding legal obligations make it difficult to find jobs and to secure housing. They can result in removal from treatment programs as well as incarceration. Resolving these legal problems requires coordination, organization, preparation, travel, and time-expectations that may be problematic for many people in the early stages of recovery. Technology has the potential to make resolving these legal problems much easier. Online platform technology is now available that can guide people in recovery through the resolution of many legal problems at no cost and without an attorney, potentially doing so quickly, remotely, and at any time of day. This study of individuals in treatment in Michigan tests whether resolving outstanding legal issues improves drug treatment outcomes. The research also examines whether and to what extent resolving legal issues supports family reunification, reduces future criminal behavior, and improves access to jobs and housing for clients in treatment for opioid use disorder. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is used to determine the effects of resolving legal issues on these outcomes. For identification, the investigators leverage the random assignment of legal services to treatment center clients, along with the random assignment of clients to treatment centers by birth month. We assemble a novel longitudinal dataset of hundreds of clients in treatment for substance use disorder and link these clients to several administrative datasets and qualitative data, which allows for measurement of: (1) substance use behaviors and (2) justice-system involvement, including civil and criminal legal system encounters. This study also uses linked client and administrative data to research the population in opioid treatment centers, follow-up behaviors, and whether the consequences of providing no-cost legal services differ by client background. Findings from this research will improve America's understanding of the acute socio-legal needs faced by those experiencing opioid use disorder and provide recommendations to help target resources toward the areas that best support long-term abstinence from opioids and other drugs.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Dec 2021
Longer than P75 for not_applicable
2 active sites
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
December 23, 2021
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
December 7, 2022
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
December 27, 2022
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
July 31, 2025
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
July 31, 2025
CompletedNovember 29, 2024
November 1, 2024
3.6 years
December 7, 2022
November 26, 2024
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (2)
Frequency of substance misuse
Consulting electronic medical records, we measure how frequently the participant report using substance(s). Daily rates will be recorded or calculated if frequency of use is recorded in weekly, monthly, or annual terms.
1 year
Quantity of substance(s)
Consulting electronic medical records, what is the mean quantity/measurement of substance(s) reported by participant per use. For alcohol, this is mean number of drinks per day(indicate beer, wine, liquor). For drugs this should be recorded in the standard measurement commonplace to that specific drug as recorded in the medical record, such as marijuana use in mean grams per day.
1 year
Secondary Outcomes (6)
Frequency of substance misuse
2 years
Quantity of substance(s)
2 years
Count of justice system involvement
1 year
Justice system involvement case type
1 year
Count of justice system involvement
2 years
- +1 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (2)
Treatment
EXPERIMENTALReceives tutorial for free online legal resolution at treatment center
Control
NO INTERVENTIONThe control group is not provided the experimental intervention.
Interventions
Experimental patients are provided no-cost legal services in-person at addiction treatment centers using an online platform
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- \*Receiving substance use disorder treatment services
You may not qualify if:
- \*Not receiving substance use disorder treatment services
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- University of Michiganlead
- U.S. National Science Foundationcollaborator
Study Sites (2)
Home of New Vision
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48104, United States
Dawn Farm
Ypsilanti, Michigan, 48197, United States
Related Publications (1)
O'Neil MM, Johnson RA, Cordova D, Pryor J, Pinals DA. A legal dispute resolution intervention for patients with substance use disorders: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Public Health. 2023 Mar 6;23(1):435. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-15296-5.
PMID: 36879259DERIVED
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
David Cordva, PhD
Associate Professor
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- SINGLE
- Who Masked
- PARTICIPANT
- Purpose
- SUPPORTIVE CARE
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Associate Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
December 7, 2022
First Posted
December 27, 2022
Study Start
December 23, 2021
Primary Completion
July 31, 2025
Study Completion
July 31, 2025
Last Updated
November 29, 2024
Record last verified: 2024-11
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will share
- Shared Documents
- STUDY PROTOCOL, ICF
- Time Frame
- within 1 year of study completion and follow-up administrative data linkages complete
- Access Criteria
- public
deidentified data only