Dr. Stephanie Grace Prost Awarded LEAP Investigator Small Grant

The National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health recently awarded Dr. Stephanie Grace Prost a Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) Learning Experiences to Advance Practice (LEAP) Investigator Small Grant. 

According to the website, “The nationwide Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) connects investigators who collaborate with justice and behavioral-health partners to study and disseminate evidence-informed approaches to ensure quality care is provided to individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) in justice settings. The JCOIN Coordination and Translation Center (CTC) is a cooperative of seven organizations that conduct research, engage stakeholders, disseminate findings, and provide support and infrastructure to the Network.” (JCOIN) facilitates research education and capacity building through the JCOIN Coordination and Translation Center. The (LEAP) Investigator Small Grant “aims to increase the capacity and diversity of high-impact research for populations involved with the health and criminal justice systems.”

“Supporting Resilience among Re-entered Seniors (SRRS)” is a project that aims to explain the specific strengths, challenges, and desired areas of knowledge and skill-building that older adults who have re-entered their communities from a period of incarceration would like to develop. Also, the project seeks to develop, implement, and evaluate a pilot psychoeducational intervention tailored to these older adults. New Legacy Reentry, a community-based organization committed to reducing recidivism in the Louisville region, is a critical partner in SRRS and will aid in the co-creation and facilitation of a low-cost, non-contraindicated group-based psychoeducational approach. 

SRRS findings, using both qualitative and quantitative methods, will be used to inform a future proposal for a clinical trial aimed at improving physical, mental, and behavioral health and decreasing recidivism among older adults who re-enter their communities after incarceration.