There is a clear, cogent and compelling urgency to implement evidence-based substance abuse and HIV prevention interventions for juvenile justice involved youth; an adolescent population that is underserved and understudied, and receiving sparse attention in the field of implementation science. To address this marked and persistent health disparity, we propose the KiiDS (Knowing about intervention implementation in Detention Sites) Research Center, an Emory-led coalition of academic institutions, the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and community agencies providing substance abuse and HIV prevention and treatment services, by participating in and contributing to the TRIALS Cooperative. We propose to capitalize on the diversity of our expertise and the longevity of our collaborations with implementation scientists and substance abuse and HIV prevention and treatment providers to develop, administer, and evaluate multisite implementation science research. As a state-of-the art implementation science center, the goal of the KiiDS Research Center is to develop implementation strategies that enhance the adoption, fidelity, quality, reach, sustainability and cost-effectiveness of evidence-based substance use and HIV prevention interventions for youth in the juvenile justice system. The mission of the KiiDS Research Center is to closely collaborate with other TRIALS sites and, work in concert with the Georgia DJJ and community substance abuse and HIV prevention and treatment providers, to administer cross-site implementation science research protocols, develop methodologically rigorous measures and research designs, which will be used to systematically evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of our theory-driven multilevel and multicomponent implementation strategies designed to be sensitive to contextual variability in the juvenile justic system. Thus, our selection of the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) model to provide the theoretical scaffolding to support development of implementation strategies is based on the applicability of the model to complex service systems such as the juvenile justice system, its guidance in identification of multiple implementation factors likely t be important in implementation research, and its sufficient specificity in informing the development of multi-component implementation strategies. As part of the KiiDS Research Center we articulate a Research Concept that develops and evaluates multisite, multi-level, and multicomponent implementation strategies, emphasizing at the organizational-level, leadership development training and organizational skills, and at the implementation staff level, contextually adapted EBIs that are more feasible and relevant for juvenile justice systems, as well as for community organizations providing substance abuse and HIV prevention intervention services. Our vision is that this multi-systemic approach may promote a more rapid and sustainable integration of evidence-based interventions into juvenile justice and community agencies forecasting improved health trajectories for juvenile justice involved youth.
The purpose of this proposal is primarily to demonstrate the capability of an Emory-led coalition of academic institutions, the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice and community agencies providing substance abuse and HIV prevention and treatment services to participate in the TRIALS Cooperative. We propose a research model catalyzing a diverse array of scientific expertise and the breadth, depth and longevity of collaborations between academic partners and community agencies to effectively develop, administer, and evaluate implementation science research designed to improve health outcomes for juvenile justice involved youth.
