Initiative announces awardees of spring quarter 2025 Tier 3 pilot research grants

Designing an optimal continuum of care network for youth mental health services in Washington State

Investigators
Shan Liu, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering
Lawrence S. Wissow, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Clayton English, Department of Pharmacy

Project abstract
Washington state (WA) ranks 48th nationally in youth mental health indicating a higher prevalence of mental illness and significant gaps in access to timely and appropriate care. We propose a systems engineering approach to design an optimized, equitable statewide continuum of adolescent mental health services in WA. We will develop an integrative set of quantitative models to inform service planning with three aims.

In Aim 1, we will map the current pediatric mental health service network in WA, including outpatient, partial hospitalization, inpatient and residential care, using data from hospital discharge, longitudinal claims, facility surveys and state directories. In Aim 2, we will develop a facility location model to determine optimal placement and expansion of services under resource constraints, considering current network topology and equitable access across sociodemographic groups. Aim 3 involves building a discrete-event simulation model to evaluate system performance, identify bottlenecks and assess the impact of expanding interventions such as telehealth, school-based programs, and integrated primary care. The simulation will output patient flow, average wait times and facility utilization for each type of service, stratified by patient age, sex, race, insurance type and geography.

This research represents the first application of integrated systems modeling to adolescent mental health service design at the state level. It aligns with the Population Health Initiative’s goals of promoting human health and equity and supports the Washington Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan. The outcomes will provide actionable insights for policymakers to build a more responsive, efficient and equitable mental health care system for youth.

A New Model of Care for Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Maintenance at Community Pharmacies: A Pilot Effectiveness-Implementation Study

Investigators
Clayton English, Department of Pharmacy
Anthony S. Floyd, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Jenny Arnold, Washington State Pharmacy Association
Ryan Hansen, Department of Pharmacy
Boris Zhang, Washington State Pharmacy Association
Jennifer L. Bacci, Department of Pharmacy

Project abstract
Increasing opioid overdose deaths in Washington State, driven by fentanyl, has required a multipronged approach; however, continual access to opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment may be limited or unavailable in some communities. Community pharmacies play a key role in overdose prevention through education and supplying naloxone. The reduction in limitations of who may prescribe medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), creates an opportunity for an increased role of community pharmacies in offering maintenance care for individuals with OUD.

This pilot will evaluate the 1) implementation of MOUD maintenance and 2) effectiveness of MOUD maintenance in three community pharmacies in Washington State. The project will make use of a new model of care developed for MOUD maintenance and leverage key strategic partnerships with ScalaNW and CPESN WA to facilitate the hand-off from primary care and hospital providers to pharmacies, provide academic detailing and ongoing technical assistance and characterize how MOUD maintenance fits in community pharmacies.

We will use surveys, interviews and on-site visits with community pharmacy staff to evaluate implementation outcomes using the RE-AIM framework, and dispensing data from enrolled pharmacies to understand prescribing patterns and continuity of care.

We will demonstrate the model of care and implications for MOUD treatment delivery in underserved areas of the state to improve human health and economic equity. This project lays the foundation for broader adoption in Washington State, with the potential to impact overdose rates and bolster treatment services.

DecarbCityTwin 2.0: A Platform for Health-Driven and Equitable Decarbonization of the Built Environment-Advancing Platform Capabilities and Scaling for Greater Impact

Investigators
Narjes Abbasabadi, Department of Architecture
Christopher Meek, Department of Architecture
Daniel Kirschen, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Mehdi Ashayeri, Southern Illinois University
Ani Krishnan, City of Seattle, Office of Sustainability & Environment
Paulina López, Duwamish River Community Coalition
Joseph Santana, Duwamish River Community Coalition

Project abstract
Urban communities are facing compounding challenges driven by rising energy demand, climate change, and persistent environmental and socioeconomic disparities. Marginalized neighborhoods located near industrial zones often experience elevated air pollution levels and poor building performance, contributing to disproportionate health and energy burdens. Despite the urgency of these intersecting crises, current research lacks integrated, spatiotemporally resolved tools to connect human exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution with data-informed decarbonization strategies.

This project advances DecarbCityTwin, a digital twin platform designed to address these gaps by integrating physics-based simulation, machine learning, sensing technologies, and immersive visualization to support health centered, equity-driven building retrofits. Building on outcomes from a PHI Climate Change Pilot Grant, this Tier 3 proposal aims to enhance and scale the platform through three key dimensions: (1) advancing air quality and energy-use simulations, including hourly outdoor pollution modeling, indoor exposure estimation and multi-objective analysis for health- and energy-optimized retrofits; (2) integrating all data streams into a cloud-based digital twin ecosystem with real-time analytics and expanding immersive virtual reality capabilities to improve public understanding; and (3) deepening collaboration with community and city partners to co-develop actionable strategies and disseminate findings. Initial implementation focuses on Seattle’s Duwamish Valley, a community disproportionately impacted by environmental and social injustices.

The expanded platform will deliver a replicable and scalable framework to inform planning, policy and community engagement, with outcomes disseminated through publications, policy briefs and stakeholder workshops. The project ultimately aims to support data driven, health-informed decarbonization pathways for equitable and resilient urban futures and community empowerment.

Implementation and Evaluation of Fall-related Injury Prevention Strategies in the Lummi Nation

Investigators
Dakotah C. Lane, Lummi Nation Health Center
Kushang V. Patel, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Megan Moore, School of Social Work
Elizabeth Phalen, UW Northwest Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Center
Shelly Gray, Plein Center for Aging, UW School of Pharmacy
Hilaire Thompson, School of Nursing
Aspen Avery, Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center
Elise Hoffman, Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center
Jin Wang, Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center
Qian Qiu, Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center

Project abstract
Falls are the leading cause of nonfatal and fatal injuries among older adults in the United States. American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities experience the highest rates of falls. The Lummi Nation has prioritized preventing falls among elders. Through a Tier 1 Population Health Initiative project, the project Co-PI’s have strengthened partnership between the Lummi Nation Health Center (LNHC) and UW, as well as engaged Lummi elders, LNHC clinicians and other key interest holders in fall prevention. This foundational work identified several strengths in the community and health system for fall prevention.

Accordingly, we now propose to leverage these strengths and further engage with the community to adapt, implement and evaluate evidence-based strategies for reducing fall-related injuries. We will recruit and engage a co-design group of interest-holders that will include elders, clinicians from LNHC and leadership/staff from Lummi’s elder living facility and fitness center. The co-design group will adapt the CDC’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries (STEADI) toolkit for health care providers, involving screening, assessing and intervening on risk factors.

Given that fall risk is multifactorial and a chronic concern, we will adapt and implement STEADI using a collaborative care management model (team-based care), involving a nurse care manager who engages elder patients, their PCPs and consults with pharmacists about medication management and physical therapists about rehabilitation. Since LNHC is an integrated health system that serves all Lummi elders, we will integrate tools in their EHR system to screen, refer and monitor outcomes and evaluate a 1-year implementation of the adapted STEADI program.