Projects

In 2016, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services introduced the Centers of Excellence for Opioid Use Disorder. Since 2018, we have coordinated the Technical Assistance Center which provides support to diverse community-based care management teams across more than 250 treatment sites to improve patient care and outcomes through integration of physical and behavioral health services. We promote data collection and continuous quality improvement, offer training for care management team members, facilitate collaboration among participating managed care organizations, and review provider applications for specialty designation. (PIs Hill & Bedford: 7/1/2018 – 6/30/2027)

Under a collaborative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, our team implements community, healthcare, and upstream strategies to reduce veteran suicide across Western PA in partnership with national, state, regional and county agencies including the PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Health Administration. The project also includes a robust program and outcome evaluation of the work and the efficacy of the comprehensive suicide prevention framework. (PI Moore: 9/1/2020 – 8/31/2026)

STARS is a collaborative effort with multiple Schuylkill County agencies to implement and evaluate evidence-based, trauma-informed strategies that increase access to high-quality behavioral health services, improve coordination of care among providers for clients with substance use and co-occurring mental health issues, and address non-medical, community-level risk factors that impact access and continuity of care. (PI Moore: 9/1/2022 – 8/31/2026)

The Rural Health Redesign Center engaged us to conduct comprehensive substance use needs assessments, perform asset and outcome maps, and develop educational modules for use on net-learning platforms. We also provide training to hospital staff on a range of topics to support the expansion of peer recovery support specialists and peer recovery support programming at participating sites. (PI Sumansky: 9/1/2022 – 8/31/2026)

The Project Lifeline National Expansion is a four-year collaboration funded by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation to sustainably implement and scale screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment in community pharmacies beyond PA. The initiative engages pharmacies, payers, and treatment providers to advance public health and address the opioid crisis. This project builds on a successful pilot in Pennsylvania through collaboration with UPMC Health Plan. (PI Hill: 1/1/2023 – 12/31/2027)

We are collaborating with Lincoln University to expand and evaluate overdose prevention services and the integration of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) on campus. The project includes targeted naloxone distribution, recovery-friendly housing, case management, and referral pathways. These efforts aim to connect students to community partners and recovery-support services, building a recovery-oriented campus culture. (PI Hill: 9/30/2024 – 9/29/2027) 

UMSHIP is a partnership with the Pitt Medicine Department of Psychiatry and UPMC Western Behavioral Health’s Addiction Medicine Units to implement and evaluate the integration of a universal, holistic, status neutral, evidence-based and recovery-focused infection prevention and intervention program for individuals with substance use disorders, and their partners, entering these facilities. (PI Moore: 10/1/2023 – 8/31/2028)

We partnered with the Muskingum Area Mental Health and Recovery Services Board to help local first responders address the opioid crisis in Eastern Ohio by providing first responders with training on evidence-based interventions for at-risk patients and their social networks focused on substance use and overdose reversal in the field. We also assist these agencies integrating referral protocols into their workflow and evaluating the effectiveness of the program on overdose outcomes. (PI Moore: 9/30/2023 – 9/29/2027)

Our Evaluation and Outcomes Team provides technical assistance to Columbia, Montour, Snyder, and Union Behavioral Health and Developmental Services in completing their Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Program’s required Youth Substance Use and Gambling Needs Assessment. Technical assistance includes data collections and interpretation, survey and interview protocol development, and report generation. (PI Moore: 8/1/2024 – 5/31/2026)

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ Office of Medical Assistance Programs engaged us to support the Pediatric Complex Care Resource Centers through the development, implementation, and evaluation of a curriculum and online portal for professional and familial caregivers of children with medical complexity living in the home. (PIs Sipusic & Hill: 12/1/2024 – 6/30/2026)

Using funding from a Byrne Justice Assistance grant through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Carbon County Drug Treatment Court is seeking to improve and expand their adult program. This project will evaluate the current program and identify ways to increase the number of individuals served and the number of successful graduations. We are grateful for partnership from the Pitt Office of Child Development’s Evaluation and Research Team. (PI Hill: 10/1/2024 – 9/30/2026)

Using funding from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, we are partnering with Susquehanna County to improve outcomes for justice-involved individuals, and their families, with substance use and co-occurring disorders. We provide training and technical assistance related to coordination of care during incarceration and facilitate development of a re-entry coalition after incarceration. We will also conduct a mixed methods program and outcomes evaluation of programming. (PIs Sumansky & Moore: 1/1/2026 – 6/30/2027)