Peer-Delivered Behavioral Intervention to Improve Adherence to MAT Among Low-Income Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder

The opioid use disorder (OUD) crisis is an epidemic of poor access to care, including lack of access to evidence-based behavioral interventions alongside medication for OUD. This project aims to evaluate how peer recovery coaches, trained individuals with their own lived experience with OUD, can improve retention in care for underserved, minority individuals with OUD. In this two-phase, five-year project as part of the NIH HEAL Initiative, we will evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of a peer-delivered behavioral activation intervention delivered at the University of Maryland Drug Treatment Center, in close collaboration with UMB Psychiatry.

Location: Baltimore, MD; Funding: NIH HEAL Initiative (R61AT010799, R33DA057747B; PI: Magidson). Opportunities for staff and students to be involved in study coordination, data collection, qualitative analyses, and secondary data analysis.

Publication of results:

Peer recovery specialist-delivered, behavioral activation intervention to improve retention in methadone treatment: Results from an open-label, Type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation pilot trial

Syndemic barriers to successful treatment outcomes for individuals receiving medication for opioid use disorder

Defining patient-centered successful methadone treatment outcomes among low-income, minority individuals at a community-based outpatient treatment center.

Adapting a peer-delivered Behavioral Activation intervention to support retention in methadone maintenance treatment for a low-income, minority population.

"Sometimes you have to take the person and show them how": adapting behavioral activation for peer recovery specialist-delivery to improve methadone treatment retention