Current Projects

Researchers in the University of Delaware Center for Community Research and Service, Center for Drug and Health Studies and Department of Sociology are partnering with researchers at the University of Maryland, College Park on a systematic, mixed-methods evaluation of the Delaware Contraceptive Access Now (DEL-CAN) intervention which aims to reduce unintended pregnancies, reduce Medicaid costs for unintended pregnancies, and support policy development that enables contraceptive access to all women who desire it. The evaluation is designed to understand the DEL-CAN Plans effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, and to derive lessons about mechanisms leading to initial and sustained impacts in Delaware, and to impacts that are generalizable to other states. A five-year evaluation period, 2016 to 2021, is planned and the use of Medicaid transactions data will play an important part in the project.

A copy of Governor Markell's Op Ed is available here: What States Can Do on Birth Control - The New York Times.pdf

Recent journal articles:

• Gifford, K., McDuffie, M.J., Rashid, H., Knight, E., McColl, R., Boudreaux M. & Rendall, M. (2021). “Postpartum contraception method type and risk of a short inter-pregnancy interval in a state Medicaid population.” Contraception. First published May 2021.doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2021.05.006​​​

• Bell, A., Gifford, K., Rashid, H., McDuffie, M. J. and Knight, E. (2020). "Power of Mom A Mixed Methods Investigation of Mothers Influence on Womens Contraceptive Attitudes and Behaviors." Maternal and Child Health Journal, January 2020.​

CCRS DEL-CAN Research Team

• Mary Joan McDuffie, MA, Policy Scientist and Medicaid Research Program Director
• Katie Gifford, PhD, Policy Scientist
• Rebecca McColl, MPA, Policy Scientist
• Theresa Vanderloo, BA, Sponsored Programs Coordinator
  

CCRS is involved in two projects focused on measuring opioid metrics within Delaware. The first project is a multi-state collaboration lead by AcademyHealth State University Partnership Learning Network (SUPLN) using a distributed research network (DRN) model (MODRN)​. In all participating states, the Medicaid Medical Director participates in the steering committee which defines appropriate metrics.

Recent journal articles by the MODRN group:

• Jarlenski, M., Chen, Q., Ahrens, K., Allen, L., Austin, A., Chappell, C., Donohue, J., Hammerslag, L.,; Lanier, P., McDuffie, M.J​.​, Talbert, J., Tang, L., Krans, E., on behalf of the Medicaid Outcomes Distributed Research Network (MODRN)​ (2022)."Postpartum Follow-up Care for Pregnant Persons With Opioid Use Disorder and Hepatitis C Virus Infection​." Obstetrics & Gynecology. 139(5): 916-918.​​

• Donohue, J.M., Jarlenski, M.P., Kim, J.Y., Tang, L., Ahrens, K., Allen, L., Austin, A., Barnes, A.J., Burns, M., Chang, C.H., Clark, S., Cole, E., Crane, D., Cunningham, P., Idala, D., Junker, S., Lanier, P., Mauk, R., McDuffie, M.J.​, Mohamoud, S., Pauly, N., Sheets, L., Talbert, J., Zivin, K., Gordin, A.J., Kennedy, S. (2021). "Use of Medications for Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Among US Medicaid Enrollees in 11 States, 2014-2018​"​. Journal of the American Medical Association.. 326(2):154-164. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.7374​​

​CCRS is also participating in the Delaware Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance's (DMMA) Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) grant.

CCRS is presently collaborating with John Hopkins University on an evaluation of a MOUD treatment program for incarcerated individuals and follow-up after release.

CCRS Research Team

• Mary Joan McDuffie, MA, Policy Scientist and Medicaid Research Program Director
• Katie Gifford, PhD, Associate Policy Scientist
• ​Erin Lynch​, MS, Assistant Policy Scientist
• ​Katie Fitzpatrick​, PhD, Associate Professor
  

CCRS, as part of the Delaware IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Centralized Research Service Network is collaborating on the following INBRE Core Access voucher projects:

• Describing the Sickle Cell Population in Delaware to Inform Novel Models of Care Delivery. Stephanie Howe Guarino, MD, MSHP​, Christiana Care & Nemours. CCRS researchers: E. Nescott & M.J. McDuffie
• Linking Evictions, Homelessness, and Pediatric Health​. J. J. Cutuli, PhD, Nemours & S. Metraux, CCRS. CCRS researchers: M.J.McDuffie & E. Nescott.
• ​Area Deprivation and Hypertension Diagnosis in Youth: Mediating Role of Obesity​. Carissa Baker-Smith, MD, Nemours. CCRS researchers: M.J. McDuffie & E. Nescott
  
• Impact of Health Literacy on Medication Adherence among Black Medicaid Beneficiaries with Hypertension in Delaware. Yandelala Cuffee, PhD, UD College of Health Sciences. CCRS researchers: M.J. McDuffie & E. Nescott.
• ​How Do Medicaid Policies Affect Use of Primary Care? ​Katie Fitzpatrick, PhD. Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. CCRS researchers: K. Gifford & M.J. McDuffie
• Exploration and analysis of child lead testing and intervention in the Medicaid population ages 0-4 through the years 2014-2018​. Kelli O. Thompson, Nemours Children Health Systems.  CCRS researchers: E. Nescott & M.J. McDuffie
  

Delaware INBRE is supported by the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences under grant number P20GM103446.

​Understanding and identifying shared populations and their health care and housing needs based upon matching Medicaid management information system and the Community Management Information System databases.​  Steve Metraux, PhD, PI.  CCRS researchers: E. Nescott & M.J. McDuffie