Randomized Controlled Trials to Test Interventions for Frequent Utilizers of Multiple Health, Criminal Justice, and Social Service Systems

This Request for Proposals (RFP) aims to fulfill three primary objectives:

1. Rigorously evaluate through RCTs the impact of established, manualized frequentutilizer interventions that have been implemented in real-world settings with fidelity to documented models;
2. Provide an evaluation mechanism for communities that are rapidly expanding their efforts to divert frequent utilizers; and
3. Build the evidence base, support rigorous research in this growing field, and better inform the work of jurisdictions committed to data-driven government by widely disseminating lessons and final results from this project.

We are particularly interested in proposals to test commonly deployed frequent-utilizer interventions, including crisis intervention teams, therapeutic communities, forensic assertive community treatment (or other adapted versions of assertive community treatment), critical time intervention, cognitive-behavioral therapy, short-term mental health crisis stabilization programs, law enforcement and general health or behavioral health co-responder programs, or programs incorporating a Housing First approach.2 Proposals should target interventions that address some or all of the following outcomes of interest: reduction in arrest and recidivism rates; reduction in the use of medical services such as emergency room visits and hospitalizations; improved health outcomes; housing stability; and economic well-being. We also strongly encourage proposals to evaluate other promising frequent-utilizer interventions that have been implemented in real-world settings with fidelity. We seek a balanced set of research projects that build on the evidence base and generate results applicable to jurisdictions that range in size and capacity.