HEAL Initiative: Integrative Management of Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) for Whole Recovery: Health Systems

Forty to sixty percent of individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) have co-occurring chronic pain (CP), which impacts their ability to fully engage in treatment. Effective management of both conditions is hindered by siloed medical disciplines and health systems. HEAL Integrative Management of Chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery (IMPOWR) was funded in FY21 to support 11 unique clinical trials to test novel interventions for the management of co-occurring chronic pain and OUD at the patient-level. The current NOFO will develop strategies to address barriers to the sustainable and effective delivery of integrated OUD/pain care at the health systems level. IMPOWR identified patient interventions that were effective and ready to implement. The current NOFO will address how health systems could be improved to facilitate the use of effective integrative interventions, including the involvement and roles of peer specialists, clinicians, health system leaders and other key decision makers. Also, this NOFO will characterize where such care can be optimally and efficiently delivered. Studies will identify collaborative care models, implementation strategies, and other innovative health system approaches to meaningfully integrate CP and OUD service provision in health settings. These studies will address complex factors that influence the ability to scale and sustain effective collaborative and integrated care for pain and OUD. 

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in partnership with National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for research on the effective management of OUD and CP. Applications are not being solicited at this time. Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects. This NOFO will utilize the RM1 activity code. Investigators with expertise and insights into this area of chronic pain management and OUD/opioid misuse are encouraged to begin to consider applying for this new NOFO. In addition, collaborative investigations combining expertise in community-based participatory research approaches, implementation science, and other strategies to amplify scalability and sustainability will be encouraged and, these investigators should also begin considering applying for this NOFO.