“`html
$4 million Grant to Bolster Health Economics Research in Criminal Justice and Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Table of Contents
A new initiative backed by a $4 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) aims to improve the economic evaluation of substance use disorder treatments and overdose prevention strategies within the U.S. criminal legal system. The five-year grant, awarded to a team led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, will establish a dedicated research facility focused on optimizing care for individuals involved in the justice system.
Addressing a Critical Gap in Care
Interventions for individuals struggling with substance use disorders are often insufficient within the criminal-legal system, leading to a cascade of negative consequences, including increased risk of overdose upon release.This new research seeks to address this critical gap by rigorously evaluating the economic value of different interventions across various criminal justice settings.Health economics researchers play a vital role in comparing the cost-effectiveness of available options, informing strategic resource allocation.
Launching the CLEAR Center and Supporting JCOIN-II
The grant will fund the creation of the Criminal-Legal Economic Analysis & Resource (CLEAR) center, operating within the Justice Community Overdose Innovation Network (JCOIN). JCOIN, initially supported by NIDA in 2019, is now in its second phase of funding – JCOIN-II – and focuses on developing and testing strategies for substance use disorder care within the criminal legal system.
According to a statement from the research team, the CLEAR Center will “not only generate rigorous economic evidence regarding which care strategies deliver the greatest value, but also develop tools and resources that administrators and policymakers can use to identify strategic and sustainable investments.”
A Multifaceted Approach to Systemic Change
The U.S.criminal-legal system – encompassing police stations, courts, jails, prisons, and community supervision programs – presents unique challenges due to its complex budgetary and staffing constraints.Traditionally, individuals with substance use disorders entering this system faced abrupt cessation of drug use, leading to untreated withdrawal, followed by minimal support upon release.
“Ideally we want to get people on treatment as soon as thay are incarcerated, and link them to evidence-based care promptly upon release-when the risk of overdose and other adverse outcomes is typically highest,” explained Dr. Sean Murphy, co-principal investigator of the CLEAR Center and professor at Weill Cornell Medicine.
The CLEAR Center will support JCOIN-II by conducting cost-effectiveness analyses of clinical trials, providing guidance on trial design, creating cost-benefit calculators for decision-makers, and offering general consultation.
Leveraging Existing Expertise: CHERISH and Collaborative Research
Drs. Murphy and Dr. Kathryn McCollister, professor and interim chair of public health sciences at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, bring extensive experience in substance use disorder-related health economics research to this project. Both researchers are longtime collaborators through CHERISH – a NIDA-funded health economics center of excellence focused on substance use disorder,
