title: Effect of an organizational linkage intervention on staff perceptions of medication-assisted treatment and referral intentions in community corrections.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is effective for alcohol and opioid use disorders but it is stigmatized and underutilized in criminal justice settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study cluster-randomized 20 community corrections sites to determine whether an experimental implementation strategy of training and an organizational linkage intervention improved staff perceptions of MAT and referral intentions more than training alone. The 3-hour training was designed to address deficits in knowledge, perceptions and referral information, and the organizational linkage intervention brought together community corrections and addiction treatment agencies in an interagency strategic planning and implementation process over 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although training alone was associated with increases in familiarity with pharmacotherapy and knowledge of where to refer clients, the experimental intervention produced significantly greater improvements in functional attitudes (e.g. that MAT is helpful to clients) and referral intentions. Corrections staff demonstrated greater improvements in functional perceptions and intent to refer opioid dependent clients for MAT than did treatment staff.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Knowledge, perceptions and information training plus interorganizational strategic planning intervention is an effective means to change attitudes and intent to refer clients for medication assisted treatment in community corrections settings, especially among corrections staff.
authors.affiliation: Providence Veteran Affairs Medical Center and Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA. Electronic address: pfriedmann@lifespan.org.
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Friedmann
authors.affiliation: Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Hannah K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Knudsen
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Lori J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Ducharme
authors.affiliation: Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Wayne N
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Welsh
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frisman
authors.affiliation: Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Hsiu-Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: James
authors.affiliation: University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Carmen E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Albizu-Garcia
authors.affiliation: Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pankow
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Terry F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Urbine
authors.affiliation: West Chester University, West Chester, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abdel-Salam
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Jamieson L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Duvall
authors.affiliation: Friends Research Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Vocci
mesh_terms: D003416:Criminal Law / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D058850:Opiate Substitution Treatment; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011329:Prisoners; D012017:Referral and Consultation
keywords: Alcohol-related disorders; Attitudes; Criminal justice; Opiate substitution treatment; Opioid-related disorders