Family and Social Justice Service for Suicide and Self-Harm

Overseen By Taylor Witkowski

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Cambridge Health Alliance

Disqualifiers: Under 18, No police involvement, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 12 months

1040 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The proposed Center will leverage burgeoning real-time data linkage capabilities among health systems, Medicaid payors, and criminal legal (e.g., jail booking data, jail release data) systems, to identify individuals coming in and out of jail for suicide assessment and prevention, and to better coordinate care across these disparate systems. This Center will advance the fields of suicide prevention and criminal legal system-based mental health by solving a well-known, central problem in both fields: the inability to track and intervene with individuals moving in and out of both and often multiple systems. The goal is near-term reductions in the U.S. suicide rate.

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for individuals aged 18-100 who have interacted with the criminal justice system and are patients of Cambridge Health Alliance from specific areas. They must have had police contact between 2009 and 2019 but cannot be currently incarcerated. The study aims to help those at risk of suicide by coordinating care as they move in and out of jail.

Inclusion Criteria

I was recruited for the study while in the CHA Emergency Department.

I am a CHA patient living in Everett, Chelsea, Somerville, Medford, Malden, or Winthrop.

I have interacted with the Cambridge Police between 2009 and 2019.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive interventions aimed at suicide prevention and coordination of care across health and criminal justice systems

12 months

Regular interactions with health and criminal justice systems

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

12 months

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Family and Social Justice Service and Navigator (FSJS+Navigator) Intervention

Trial Overview The study tests how well different support systems work for people at risk of suicide after jail release. It compares usual treatment, a Family and Social Justice approach, and that approach plus a Navigator service to coordinate healthcare across systems.

Participant Groups

Group I: Treatment as usual (TAU) Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

This arm will consist of 2160 eligible individuals identified to have had criminal legal involvement in Cambridge Health Alliance catchment area cities other than Cambridge (Everett, Somerville, Malden, Medford, Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop). Police departments in these Treatment as Usual cities have no programs that link police officers and clinicians to follow up on safety planning and services. These individuals will be identified as having police involvement between 2009 and 2019.

Group II: Family and Social Justice Section (FSJS) Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Consists of 200 Cambridge Health Alliance Patients Ages 18-100 Individuals who have come into contact with the Cambridge Police Department (as identified in the Family and Social Justice Section data) between 2009 and 2019.

Group III: FSJS + Navigator Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

40 patients recruited during the study period in the Cambridge Health Alliance Emergency Department (ED) Ages 18-100 Individuals who are brought into the ED under police supervision (excluding individuals currently incarcerated) involuntarily brought to the ED for psychiatric evaluation because they are considered to be a risk to themselves or others (MA Law 123(12)); or the subject of a police call for service for a mental health issue who are willingly admitted to the ED

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Cambridge Health Alliance

Lead Sponsor

Trials

65

Recruited

22,400+

Michigan State University

Collaborator

Trials

202

Recruited

687,000+

Mount Auburn Hospital

Collaborator

Trials

5

Recruited

26,400+