# Planning grant for a multi-site trial to examine the effectiveness of recovery community centers serving Black communities to support persons using medications for opioid use disorder

> **NIH NIH R34** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2022 · $742,396

## Abstract

Project Summary
To address the ongoing opioid epidemic, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks to
improve access to treatment and recovery services. Currently, the gold-standard treatment for opioid use
disorder (OUD) is long-term treatment using FDA-approved medications (MOUDs). Early discontinuation of
MOUD use represents a critical barrier to the effectiveness of MOUDs, as more than half of persons who start
MOUD use discontinue it early. Approaches are needed that support persons initiating MOUD treatment to
stay engaged in medication assisted recovery over the longer term. Recovery community centers (RCCs) are
emerging as an important third component of recovery-oriented systems of care that, until recently, were
comprised solely of professional treatment and mutual-help organizations. These centers provide a welcoming
recovery-oriented environment for persons using MOUDs that provide a range of recovery-oriented, peer-
delivered services over the long-term. Despite recent rapid large-scale investment in their growth, empirical
data on the functioning and outcomes of RCCs are extremely limited. Critically needed is research that can
speak to the effectiveness of RCCs. To address this need, and in line with RFA-DA-22-034's use of the R34
Planning Grant mechanism, we propose to conduct three preparatory studies that can inform the design and
logistics of a planned subsequent rigorous R01-level trial. Our proposal builds on two key strengths: (1) our
existing and growing NIDA-funded infrastructure to advance the science on RCCs (R24 DA051988; M-PIs:
Hoeppner & Kelly), which allowed us to build relationships with RCCs nationwide and gain insight into
consensus around appropriate outcome measures, and (2) the existing relationships of the RCCs participating
in this project with MOUD-providing clinics near them. Because the COVID-19 pandemic is widening health
disparity gaps, including widening disparities in OUD care, our focus is on RCCs serving Black communities.
Using a community-based participatory research approach, our aims are to provide insight into key
components of the planned subsequent rigorous R01-level trial using three distinct lines of inquiry. Aim 1 is to
conduct a (small, multi-site) naturalistic longitudinal study of MOUD clinic patients to provide insight into the
appropriateness of study procedures, and to receive feedback on randomization procedures. Aim 2 is to
conduct a (small, multi-site) pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) comparing two randomized groups of persons
engaged in MOUD clinical care: those who receive linkage to their nearby RCC vs. those who do not. Aim 3
widens the lens beyond the RCCs participating in Aims 1 and 2. Directors and front desk staff of MOUD-
providing clinics near RCCs serving Black communities will be surveyed and interviewed to identify barriers to
incorporating a potential RCC linkage into MOUD clinics' standard clinical care models. Together, these three
studies wil...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10588672
- **Project number:** 1R34DA057604-01
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Bettina B. Hoeppner
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $742,396
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-30 → 2025-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10588672

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10588672, Planning grant for a multi-site trial to examine the effectiveness of recovery community centers serving Black communities to support persons using medications for opioid use disorder (1R34DA057604-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10588672. Licensed CC0.

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