Connect - collaborative outreach to normalize and navigate evidence-based care and treatment - south dakota faces a pressing public health crisis at the intersection of trauma, substance use, and…

The National Institute on Drug Abuse awarded the University of South Dakota $248,400 on September 1, 2026, under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) to develop and pilot the CONNECT program, a multi-modal research education initiative addressing trauma, substance use disorders, and justice system involvement in South Dakota.

CONNECT will train at least 40 frontline professionals—including court services officers, treatment court staff, and healthcare providers—in trauma-informed care, substance use epidemiology and neuroscience, and referral strategies through asynchronous online modules, monthly ECHO sessions, in-person trainings, simulated patient experiences, and cross-sector shadowing grounded in the Sequential Intercept Model and SAMHSA's Trauma-Informed Care Framework. The pilot will operate in Sioux Falls with evaluation using quantitative and qualitative methods to assess satisfaction, knowledge gains, interprofessional collaboration, and practice changes. Long-term sustainability will be supported through integration into continuing education pathways and open-access hosting of finalized materials via the USD RED Repository and South Dakota AHEC.

The award period extends from September 1, 2026, through May 31, 2030, with place of performance at Vermillion, South Dakota. The program aligns with NIDA priorities by equipping non-research professionals with research-informed knowledge and tools to serve individuals with substance use disorders and co-occurring conditions in justice-involved settings.

Connect - collaborative outreach to normalize and navigate evidence-based care and treatment - south dakota faces a pressing public health crisis at the intersection of trauma, substance use, and justice system involvement. Individuals with substance use disorders (SUDS) are disproportionately represented in courts and correctional settings, yet many of the professionals who serve them-such as court services officers, treatment court staff, and healthcare providers-lack formal training in trauma-informed care, substance use epidemiology and neuroscience, and referral strategies. The connect program proposes a multi-modal research education initiative to increase the capacity of frontline professionals to recognize, respond to, and refer individuals with SUDS and CO-occurring conditions to appropriate support. The program will be piloted in sioux falls and will consist of asynchronous online modules, monthly echo sessions, in-person trainings, simulated patient experiences, and cross-sector shadowing. Curriculum content is grounded in the sequential intercept model and samhsa's trauma-informed care framework. Connect's integration of experiential learning through simulation on trauma-informed training model and other activities represents an innovative approach to behavioral health workforce development in justice-involved settings. Led by a team with expertise in substance use disorder science, rural health, medical education, and lived experience, connect aims to train at least 40 professionals during the pilot phase. Evaluation will include both quantitative and qualitative methods to assess satisfaction, knowledge gains, interprofessional collaboration, and changes in practice. Long-term sustainability is supported by integration into CE pathways, and open-access hosting of finalized materials via the USD red repository and south dakota ahec. Connect aligns with the goals of nida by equipping non-research professionals with research-informed knowledge and tools to address substance use in real-world settings. Through scalable, interprofessional education rooted in trauma-informed care and system navigation, the initiative promotes early intervention and improves outcomes for justice-involved individuals. By building local capacity, IT strengthens cross-sector collaboration and lays the groundwork for long-term integration into rural and underserved communities.