Monday, June 2, 2025
6/2/2025
Project HOUDINI LINK: Hospital Opioid Use Disorder treatment INItiation and LINKage to care - Project HOUDINI LINK (Hospital Opioid Use Disorder treatment INItiation and LINKage to care) will provide medication assisted treatment (MAT) and comprehensive psychosocial services to 150 individuals aged 18 and older with opioid use disorder (OUD) who present to Zuckerberg San Francisco General (ZSFG). The population of focus will be hospitalized patients who are initiated on MAT for OUD, San Francisco residents and referred to one of six diverse outpatient MAT programs. Patient navigators will work closely with the ZSFG medical teams to link and retain each enrolled patient in outpatient care using contingency management and motivational interviewing. ZSFG is the largest safety net hospital in San Francisco and currently offers MAT on-demand to hospitalized patients, but linkage to outpatient care is low. The population of focus is at high risk of treatment drop-out and drug overdose due to co-occurring mental illness, stimulant use and homelessness. Three evidence-based practices, known to be effective with the population of focus, will be used to overcome these barriers: MAT pharmacotherapy (methadone, buprenorphine, or extended-release naltrexone), patient navigation with motivational interviewing, and contingency management. The project’s goals are (1) increase treatment retention amongst patients initiating MAT at ZSFG; (2) reduce the impact of OUD on enrolled patients; (3) increase access and engagement with mental health and primary care; and (4) establish and maintain patient satisfaction with patient navigators. Multiple performance indicators will be measured via patient report, project staff report, and clinical and administrative records to evaluate progress towards project goals. The project will serve 150 patients over the three-year funding period (50 in Year #1, 67 in Year #2, 33 in Year #3). The majority of patients are expected to be male and African American or Latino. Project HOUDINI LINK staff will come from the Division of Substance Abuse and Addiction Medicine (DSAAM) in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry which has over 40 years of serving the population of focus and providing comprehensive care management to complex, underserved populations. DSAAM will also partner with the UCSF Departments of Family Medicine, Medicine, Emergency Medicine and the ZSFG inpatient Addiction Medicine Consult Service. Project staff are highly trained individuals who are state and nationally recognized leaders in the treatment of OUD. The project will link patients to six separate outpatient OUD treatment programs, including an opioid treatment program, a buprenorphine induction and stabilization clinic, and four primary care clinics with office-based OUD treatment. Referrals to residential treatment, primary care and treatment of mental illness will also be available to provide a continuum of care individualized to meet patients’ needs.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).