# A Rigorous Evaluation of the Opioid Intervention Court Strategy- A Public Health Response

> **NIH ALLCDC R01** · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO · 2020 · $767,000

## Abstract

The dramatic rise in opioid overdose fatalities is overwhelming communities across the US. This study will
conduct a rigorous evaluation of the nation's first “public health court” known as the Opioid Intervention Court
(OIC) model that was established in Buffalo, NY, in May 2017. The research objective of this proposal is to
evaluate this strategy implemented in collaboration with local public health to infuse public health into the
public safety and justice system response. Under Memorandum of Agreements, the applicant is fully partnered
with the Erie County, NY Department of Health on behalf of the Erie County Opioid Epidemic Task Force
(ECOETF) that includes the New York Unified Court System, 8th Judicial District. The Commissioner of Health,
Dr. Gale Burstein, is fully involved as an investigator and is the Director of the ECOETF that is implementing
strategies to address the opioid epidemic, including the OIC model.
The OIC model was a public health response to three drug court defendants fatally overdosing before their 2nd
court appearance in a single week in 2016, indicating that the traditional drug court model (with weekly
appearances) needed to be modified to save lives. The OIC model was designed to get non-violent users into
treatment within hours of their arrest instead of weeks. It requires daily check-ins with the judge, focuses on
immediate Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and opioid use disorder treatment (a public health approach
to save lives) and once stable, transfers participants to the traditional weekly drug courts.
It is important to note that this OIC model has served as a catalyst for other localities to adopt such an
innovative infusion of public health approaches into the drug court response. However, to date, there has not
been a rigorous evaluation of its effectiveness. Using a quasi-experimental research design, we will compare
outcomes of Opioid Intervention Court participants with a comparison group of participants enrolled in a
traditional Drug Treatment Court (tDTC). Specifically, we will address the following aims: Aim 1: Treatment
Impact- To examine differences in time to treatment initiation on the basis of OIC vs. tDTC and to examine
changes in substance use over time (i.e., opioid use, other illicit drug use, alcohol use and tobacco) on the
basis of the OIC vs. tDTC; Aim 2: Health Impact- To examine changes in mental health (e.g., symptoms of
depression, role limitations due to mental health) and physical health (e.g., pain, role limitations due to physical
health) over time on the basis of the OIC vs. tDTC; Aim 3: Recovery Impact- To examine changes in social
and environmental factors related to recovery (e.g., housing stability, employment, social connectedness); and,
Aim 4: Justice Impact- To use court records to examine justice related outcomes (e.g., adherence to court
appointments, drug related arrests, non-drug related arrests, incarceration) for individuals on the basis of OIC
vs. tDTC. Results...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10023241
- **Project number:** 5R01CE003144-02
- **Recipient organization:** STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO
- **Principal Investigator:** Gregory G. Homish
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $767,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-30 → 2021-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10023241

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10023241, A Rigorous Evaluation of the Opioid Intervention Court Strategy- A Public Health Response (5R01CE003144-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10023241. Licensed CC0.

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