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Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
News by Topic: Substance use and misuse

Jun 29, 2024 - Describes Snohomish County, Washington's "community conversations" program, providing information about opioid use misconceptions and stigma. The events are part of Snohomish County's efforts to address racial, income and geographic barriers in behavioral health care.
Source: HeraldNet
Jun 24, 2024 - Describes the launch of a pilot program supporting Life Care Specialist positions at two rural Georgia hospitals. Describes services offered by Life Care Specialists, including pain medication education, pain management planning, development of healthy coping skills, and local resource referrals.
Source: Mercer University
Jun 10, 2024 - The USDA Rural Housing Service is accepting applications for the Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) for fiscal year 2024. RCDI provides funding for private, nonprofit, and public intermediary organizations to support housing, community facilities, and community and economic development projects in rural areas. Applications that will assist rural communities reduce climate pollution and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support, ensure rural residents have equitable access to Rural Development programs and benefits from Rural Development funded projects, and assist rural communities recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure are encouraged. Electronic applications are due by July 10, 2024, and paper applications must be received by July 15, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Related funding: Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI)
May 31, 2024 - Features a harm reduction program serving residents of Alaska's rural Kenai Peninsula. Explores strategies for making services, including syringe exchange and opioid-overdose treatment distribution, accessible to remote populations.
Source: Alaska Public Media, PBS, NPR
May 28, 2024 - Notice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seeking comments on a proposed information collection titled "Needle Exchange Utilization Survey (NEXUS)." The purpose of NEXUS is to develop a surveillance system to monitor drug use, prevention behaviors, and the infectious disease consequences of drug use in select urban and non-urban areas of the U.S. impacted by the opioid crisis. Comments are due by July 29, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
May 28, 2024 - Covers the launch of a harm reduction vending machine serving residents of Delaware County, Oklahoma. Discusses concerns from some local residents and efforts by providers to address misconceptions around addiction.
Source: Public Radio Tulsa
May 23, 2024 - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will hold a virtual public meeting of the Interdepartmental Substance Use Disorders Coordinating Committee (ISUDCC) on June 10, 2024, from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. Eastern. The ISUDCC agenda will focus on the ISUDCC's recommendations to HHS on how the Federal Government can further integrate and coordinate harm reduction approaches and strategies across the continuum of prevention, treatment, and recovery policies, programs, and practices. Agenda items will also include presentations on the recently released harm reduction framework, the Naloxone Saturation Academies, and SAMHSA's Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit. Information on how to join the meeting will be posted on the SAMHSA website.
Source: Federal Register
May 12, 2024 - Reports on the 2,000-member Mi'kmaq Nation's efforts to use sweat lodges as a cultural element to complement addiction counseling and medications already provided by the tribe's health department. The project was partially funded by pharmaceutical companies that were accused of exacerbating the overdose crisis among Native Americans.
Source: National Public Radio
May 8, 2024 - Explores complex barriers to substance abuse treatment for residents of rural west Texas. Discusses challenges faced by law enforcement and the court system due to a shortage of local recovery resources.
Source: The Big Bend Sentinel
May 3, 2024 - Notice from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announcing the formation of the Substance Use Prevention Workforce subcommittee within the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention National Advisory Council (CSAP NAC). The subcommittee is expected to exist for approximately one year and hold virtual meetings monthly. Information about CSAP NAC, including future public meetings and a roster of Council members, can be accessed on the CSAP NAC website.
Source: Federal Register