The $7 million study, funded by NIDA, will be implemented first in Ulster County, NY, by the Social Intervention Group at Columbia School of Social Work.
TechMPower is a groundbreaking study that aims to prevent and treat HIV and overdose in criminal justice settings through the implementation of a comprehensive bundle of evidence-based strategies that will enhance the effective delivery of interventions for both HIV and substance use disorder (SUD). Because people with HIV and SUD disproportionately come into contact with the criminal legal system, TechMPower marks a significant step forward in addressing their health needs.
The United States incarcerates nearly two million people, more than any other country in the world. Individuals in U.S. prisons and jails have significantly higher rates of SUD and HIV compared to the general population, yet they often have limited access to testing, prevention, and treatment for both. Systemic barriers contribute to an estimated 15% of people in correctional facilities being unaware of their HIV status. Insufficient treatment and support increase the risk of overdose, overdose death, and HIV for people who are detained.
This $7 million study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to Drs. Victoria Frye, Timothy Hunt, and Nabila El-Bassel, is conducted in collaboration with co-investigators Dr. Louisa Gilbert and Dr. Dawn Goddard-Eckrich of Columbia University, Dr. Laura Starbird of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Dan Feaster of the University of Miami, Dr. Janet Myer of the University of California, San Francisco, and Dr. Aaron Fox of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. TechMPower will be implemented in collaboration with community stakeholders including the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department, Cornerstone Family Healthcare, Catholic Charities, and the Medication for Addiction Treatment and Electronic Referrals (NY MATTERS) Network. These partners are essential to the implementation of the study and this research would not be possible without them.
"Mass incarceration in the US drives numerous adverse health and social outcomes, including untreated HIV and SUD and reduced detection of HIV and SUD due to inadequate provision of services," said principal investigator Victoria Frye, DrPh. "TechMPower is designed to increase provision of evidence-based HIV/SUD screening and prevention/care practices, particularly approaches that can be employed post-release, such as HIV self-testing, and accessed with convenient contact with formal healthcare systems, specifically telehealth."
Through improved receipt of services, continuity of service access, education on self-screening, building on existing community coalitions, anti-stigma training, linkage with Peer Navigators and Case Management, and more, the TechMPower team hopes to determine whether this intervention results in better treatment and prevention outcomes for HIV and SUD.
"Jails, unfortunately, have become a traumatizing and life altering touchpoint for many people with substance use and mental health disorders, who are at increased risk for HIV and drug related impacts for a myriad of intersecting social and structural reasons. Workforce, economic and stigma-based challenges in this system cry out for strategies to make doing the right thing doable in healthcare," said multiple principal investigator Timothy Hunt, PhD. He also said, "Community partnerships using innovative technologies, such as telehealth, are key to linking people to the needed care and support that evidence-based interventions and best practices can provide for HIV and SUD awareness, treatment, and harm reduction. We take the work of SIG further into this system recognizing the critical voices of those with lived experience guide us each step of the way."
Contact:
Victoria Frye, contact PI
Timothy Hunt, mPI
Nabila El-Bassel, mPI