Federal Grant Award Summary

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) received a $740,451 Project Grant award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) effective May 1, 2026 through February 28, 2031. The award funds an evaluation of community health worker (CHW) support to improve tobacco use disorder (TUD) outcomes in Medicaid beneficiaries with serious mental illness (SMI). The research will enroll 937 adults with SMI and TUD receiving behavioral healthcare through Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and randomly assign them to receive either intensive case manager (ICM) support with brief CHW and tobacco treatment specialist (TTS) training or enhanced usual care. The study evaluates whether existing behavioral care team members, when trained as CHWs, can improve tobacco abstinence rates and associated cardiovascular and mental health outcomes in this underserved population.

This implementation research project addresses a significant gap in the widespread adoption of evidence-based TUD interventions within Medicaid-funded care structures. By testing the effectiveness of CHW support delivered through existing, trained Medicaid-funded community behavioral health staff rather than specialized waiver programs, MGH will generate evidence on the scalability and impact of integrating CHW functions into standard Medicaid ACO operations. The research builds on prior evidence demonstrating that CHW support combined with provider education can double tobacco abstinence rates in adults with SMI, with findings expected to inform broader dissemination of this cost-effective intervention model across the nation's largest mental health payor system.