Publications by authors named "Trevor J Baker"
Article Synopsis
- The Communities That HEAL (CTH) intervention aimed to boost naloxone distribution in communities severely affected by opioid overdoses compared to standard care.
- A study involving 67 communities in Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio revealed that naloxone distribution was significantly higher (79% more) in the CTH intervention group than in the usual care group over a year of monitoring.
- The findings suggest that the CTH intervention effectively increased naloxone distribution, supporting its role in reducing opioid-related overdose deaths.
Community-Based Cluster-Randomized Trial to Reduce Opioid Overdose Deaths.
N Engl J Med
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study examines a community-based intervention aimed at reducing opioid-related overdose deaths by increasing the adoption of evidence-based practices including overdose education and naloxone distribution, medication treatment for opioid use disorder, and prescription safety.
- In a cluster-randomized trial, 67 communities across Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio were assigned to either receive the intervention or serve as a control group during a period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase in fentanyl overdoses.
- Results showed no significant difference in opioid-related overdose death rates between the intervention and control groups, with both averaging similar rates, indicating that the community-engaged strategies did not have a measurable impact during the study period.
Introduction: Immediate access to naloxone is needed to prevent fatal opioid-related overdoses in the presence of fentanyl analogs saturating the opioid supply. Peer models engage impacted populations who are not accessing naloxone through standard venues, yet compensating peers who utilize syringe service programs with cash stipends to distribute naloxone within networks of people who use drugs is not well described.
Methods: As part of the HEALing Communities Study, syringe service program-based interventions were developed in Holyoke and Gloucester, MA, which paid people who use drugs ("peers") cash to distribute naloxone.