TY - JOUR
AU - V. R. Votaw
AU - M. Rudorf
AU - I. Dragoi
AU - D. Beers
AU - V. Loukas
AU - S. M. Roberts
AU - R. K. McHugh
AU - R. D. Weiss
A1 - 
AB - Mental health concerns (e.g., psychiatric disorders, traumatic experiences, suicidal ideation) are common among those with opioid use disorder (OUD) and are associated with an increased risk of overdose. Yet, few people with OUD receive integrated treatment for psychiatric disorders or other concerns, underscoring the need to reduce barriers to integrated care, such as a lack of knowledge about mental health conditions among frontline workers and providers. In this Community Case Study, we describe an effort at a single site (Massachusetts) of the HEALing Communities Study (HCS) to address barriers to integrated care through Learning Collaboratives (LCs), a method for large-scale dissemination of evidence-based practices. The HCS was a parallel-group, community-engaged, cluster-randomized trial conducted across four states/sites from January 2020 to December 2023 to reduce fatal opioid-related overdoses. LC sessions were offered to partners in HCS communities (e.g., frontline workers and providers, such as peer recovery coaches, social workers, psychiatrists) to support overdose reduction strategies. The HCS Massachusetts site implemented an LC series focused on mental health and OUD, including didactic presentations emphasizing concrete take-home messages and intervention strategies, case presentations, and interactive discussions. Provider participants from various professional backgrounds rated the LC sessions as helpful and useful, highlighting the feasibility of this method for disseminating information on evidence-based practices to address OUD and co-occurring mental health concerns. We also discuss challenges and lessons learned by the planning team to inform future LCs that address integrated care for OUD and mental health concerns.
AD - Division of Alcohol, Drugs, and Addiction, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States.; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.; Grayken Center for Addiction, Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States.; School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States.
AN - 41867973
BT - Front Psychol
C5 - Opioids & Substance Use
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1698589
DP - NLM
ET - 20260306
JF - Front Psychol
LA - eng
N2 - Mental health concerns (e.g., psychiatric disorders, traumatic experiences, suicidal ideation) are common among those with opioid use disorder (OUD) and are associated with an increased risk of overdose. Yet, few people with OUD receive integrated treatment for psychiatric disorders or other concerns, underscoring the need to reduce barriers to integrated care, such as a lack of knowledge about mental health conditions among frontline workers and providers. In this Community Case Study, we describe an effort at a single site (Massachusetts) of the HEALing Communities Study (HCS) to address barriers to integrated care through Learning Collaboratives (LCs), a method for large-scale dissemination of evidence-based practices. The HCS was a parallel-group, community-engaged, cluster-randomized trial conducted across four states/sites from January 2020 to December 2023 to reduce fatal opioid-related overdoses. LC sessions were offered to partners in HCS communities (e.g., frontline workers and providers, such as peer recovery coaches, social workers, psychiatrists) to support overdose reduction strategies. The HCS Massachusetts site implemented an LC series focused on mental health and OUD, including didactic presentations emphasizing concrete take-home messages and intervention strategies, case presentations, and interactive discussions. Provider participants from various professional backgrounds rated the LC sessions as helpful and useful, highlighting the feasibility of this method for disseminating information on evidence-based practices to address OUD and co-occurring mental health concerns. We also discuss challenges and lessons learned by the planning team to inform future LCs that address integrated care for OUD and mental health concerns.
PY - 2026
SN - 1664-1078 (Print); 1664-1078
SP - 1698589
ST - The use of learning collaboratives to support integrated mental health and opioid use disorder services: lessons from the HEALing Communities Study
T1 - The use of learning collaboratives to support integrated mental health and opioid use disorder services: lessons from the HEALing Communities Study
T2 - Front Psychol
TI - The use of learning collaboratives to support integrated mental health and opioid use disorder services: lessons from the HEALing Communities Study
U1 - Opioids & Substance Use
U3 - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1698589
VL - 17
VO - 1664-1078 (Print); 1664-1078
Y1 - 2026
ER -