NCT07799961 · Sairam Parthasarathy
Arizona CEAL: Linking Social Care With Healthcare Systems to Address SDOH
(AZCEAL)
What this study is about
The goal of the Arizona Community Engagement Alliance (AZ-CEAL) will be to combine social care with healthcare programs.
View original scientific description
The goal of the Arizona Community Engagement Alliance (AZ-CEAL) will be to combine social care with healthcare programs. The study will be connecting selected patients from clinics with trained community health workers (CHW) who will assist participants in getting the help that is needed for their health such as transportation needs, accessing healthy food, health information, accessing good health care, job opportunities, and housing. The study will collect information from both the patients and the health care systems to test how effectively the care plan works over time.
Interventions
OTHER
Community Health Worker intervention
CHWs with knowledge of local community resources will address social needs through through a IVR platform. Both CHWs and participants can access each other through the IVR system. Patients are observed repeatedly so that measurements are nested within members. We will recruit participants into the closed cohort prior to the sequential roll-out of the intervention to ensure individual-level informed consent and patient-reported data. Recruiting individuals before the intervention is rolled into the clinic (cluster) enables both concurrent comparisons of participants receiving care across clinics as well as pre-post comparisons of individual level (patient-reported) data in addition to passive data collection at a system or clinic level. Primary Data collected through patient reported surveys and passive EMR collection will occur at baseline and 6 months. Patients may opt-in to additional data collection at 12, 18, 24, 36 month time points.
OTHER
Usual Care
Participants (patients) do not have CHWs addressing social issues and HRSNs within the healthcare system. The healthcare personnel act upon the identified social issues independently or with assistance from local clinic resources as usual. The social drivers of health are assessed by phone interview as part of annual population health assessments and entered into the Electronic Medical Records system and that in turn informs the healthcare provider.
Primary outcome measures
Change in Healthcare utilization
Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months
Composite outcome of unplanned office visits, urgent care visits, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. Data is passively collected through the EMR system. The data is expressed as a rate (events/year) that is calculated from 6 months of data
Who can participate
This study lists these criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov. A study coordinator reviews eligibility during screening — this page does not determine whether you qualify.
Inclusion criteria
- 18 years of age or older
- Must meet at least one of the three criteria:
- Medicaid or dual-insured beneficiary or
- Racial/ethnic minority or rural resident and
- Household income in the bottom national quartile of household median income (low SES definition).
Exclusion criteria
- Unable to provide informed consent due to cognitive impairment
- Other specified reason that, in the opinion of the investigator makes the participant unsuitable for enrollment
Where
- Tucson, Arizona
Collaborators
University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University, Mayo Clinic, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Related conditions & keywords
Frequently asked questions
What is a clinical trial?
A clinical trial is a research study that tests new medical treatments, drugs, devices, or procedures to determine their safety and effectiveness. Trials are carefully designed and monitored to protect participants while advancing medical knowledge.
Is it safe to participate?
Clinical trials follow strict safety guidelines and ethical standards. Trials must be reviewed and approved, and participants are closely monitored by medical professionals throughout the study. You can withdraw at any time if you choose.
Will I be compensated?
Many clinical trials offer compensation for your time, travel expenses, and inconvenience. The specific compensation varies by study and will be discussed during the screening process. All study-related medical care is typically provided at no cost to participants.
Will I receive a placebo instead of treatment?
When effective treatment exists, participants typically receive either the standard treatment plus the study intervention, or the standard treatment plus placebo. You would not be denied effective care. Placebos are primarily used when no proven treatment is available, or in addition to standard care. Your trial consent form will clearly explain what treatments you may receive.
Can I leave a trial if I change my mind?
Absolutely. Participation in clinical trials is completely voluntary. You have the right to withdraw from the study at any time, for any reason, without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.
How long does a clinical trial last?
Trial duration varies widely depending on the study design and purpose. Some trials last just a few weeks, while others may continue for months or years. The study coordinator will provide specific timeline information during your screening call.
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov · synced Sep 2, 2026 · Source of record for eligibility and locations