BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University School of Nursing Dean and Distinguished Professor Robin Newhouse has announced the Phase One projects of the Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenges initiative.

As part of IU's $50 million commitment to prevent, reduce and treat addictions in Indiana, initial pilot grants feature collaborative teams of faculty members, researchers, community organizations and cross-sector partners. Together, the projects will address all five focus areas of the statewide initiative: ground-level data collection and analysis; training and education; policy analysis and development; addictions science; and community and workforce development.

"These 16 projects collectively move us closer to achieving the goals of our overall, comprehensive plan, representing a critical first step in our statewide effort to battle this epidemic," Newhouse said. "From expanding the state's capacity to identify and treat addiction, to creating a much-needed statewide database on opioid use, or investigating the policy implications that shape this crisis, these projects will help us make meaningful progress on behalf of Hoosier families and communities across our state."

In partnership with community hospital systems, public health departments, workforce development organizations, health care research institutes and other collaborators, the Phase One projects include the development of preventive assessment tools, treatment center capacity building and the creation of online education centers for health care professionals. The scope of these pilot programs demonstrates the breadth and capacity of the five-year initiative, with efforts spanning scientific research, programmatic development and implementation, and community engagement.

Peter Embi, president and CEO of the Regenstrief Institute -- an internationally recognized informatics and health care research organization affiliated with IU -- will develop the Indiana Addictions Data Commons to ensure that health care systems, law enforcement and public health professionals have access to a single source of data about the opioid addictions crisis.

"We can't solve this crisis without having a constant and reliable finger on its pulse," Embi said. "By working with our partners to aggregate the relevant clinical and community-level data and enable access via a comprehensive research hub, the Indiana Addictions Data Commons will provide the critical insights we need to better understand and address this epidemic for all Hoosiers."

In partnership with Eskenazi Health, IU Health, the Marion County Health Department and other community health organizations, Indiana University School of Medicine associate professor Sarah Wiehe will focus her research on how to improve the health outcomes of mothers with opioid-use disorders and their infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome.

"We've seen a steady increase in NAS over the past five years, yet we don't know how effective we are at treating mothers and their babies with this condition," Wiehe said. "We need much better data on which medical or psychological treatment methods are most effective. Then we can help our health care practitioners adjust overall treatment to improve care for babies born with NAS."

Project summaries for Phase One pilot projects