Young Houston Emergency Opioid Engagement System

Phase 4RecruitingNCT04811014

The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston250 enrolled

Overview

The Houston Emergency Response Opioid Engagement System for Youths and Adolescents (Young HEROES) is a community-based research program integrating assertive outreach, medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), behavioral counseling, and peer recovery support. The objective is to compare differences in engagement and retention in treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder. The investigators also intend to understand the prevalence of opioid overdoses and OUD among youth in Houston.

The Houston Emergency Response Opioid Engagement System for Youths and Adolescents (Young HEROES) is a non-randomized cohort study based at the University of Texas Health Science Center of Houston. This study recruits participants through three avenues: assertive community outreach with a peer coach and paramedic following and opioid overdose, community referrals, and emergency department referrals. The study explores the effect of the combination of assertive outreach, same-day induction into medication for opioid use disorder, ongoing maintenance treatment, behavioral counseling, peer recovery support, and paramedic follow-up on patient outcomes. The primary outcome is engagement and retention in outpatient treatment. Secondary outcomes include quality of life assessment as well as subsequent relapses and overdoses. The hypothesis is that patients with earlier induction into MOUD treatment who receive routine follow-up, are more likely to engage and remain in treatment long-term.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

250

Conditions

Opioid-use Disorder

Interventions

Buprenorphine, Naloxone Drug CombinationDRUG

8mg of buprenorphine/2mg of naloxone to initiate MOUD treatment and bridge, if necessary, until referral to MOUD clinic can be made for ongoing treatment

Individual CounselingBEHAVIORAL

One-on-one counseling with a licensed chemical dependency counselor

Peer Recovery Support ServicesBEHAVIORAL

24/7 support from our team of certified peer recovery support specialists to assist with emotional support and case management

Support GroupBEHAVIORAL

Referrals to youth-focused support groups and eventual creation of in-house youth-focused support groups

Referral to Medication ManagementBEHAVIORAL

Study staff will refer patients to long-term MOUD providers in the community

Assertive OutreachBEHAVIORAL

The investigators will conduct weekly outreach to youths who experienced an opioid overdose and attempt to initiate treatment. Outreach is completed by a paramedic and peer coach.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 13 YearsMax age: 17 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * In otherwise good health based on physician assessment and medical history * Drug screen positive for opioids * Patients express a willingness to stop opioid use * Meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for opioid dependence * Patients must be able to speak English * Be agreeable to and capable of signing the informed consent and assent (parent or guardian must consent, minor must assent) Exclusion Criteria: * Non-English-speaking patients * Have a known sensitivity to buprenorphine or naloxone * Be physiologically dependent on alcohol, benzodiazepines, or other drugs of abuse that require immediate medical attention. Other substance use diagnoses are not exclusionary. * Have a medical condition that would, in the opinion of the study physician, make participation medically hazardous, including unstable cardiovascular disease, neurological deficits, trauma, acute hepatitis, stroke, and liver or renal disease) * Be acutely psychotic, severely depressed, and in need of inpatient treatment, or is an immediate suicide risk * Be a nursing or pregnant female

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Patient retention in treatment

Percentage of enrolled youth in treatment over time

Time frame: 30 days after enrollment

Patient abstinence from opioids

Days without substance use

Time frame: 30 days after enrollment

Secondary Outcomes

Frequency of opioid emergencies among adolescents in Houston, Texas

Prevalence of opioid overdoses among youth

Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 3 years