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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Illicit drug use

Identifying Areas with Disproportionate Local Health Department Services Relative to Opioid Overdose, HIV and Hepatitis C Diagnosis Rates: A Study of Rural Illinois
Highlights a study on access to opioid use disorder treatment services provided by local health departments in rural Illinois. Looks at services available, as well as county rates of opioid overdoses, HIV, and hepatitis C diagnosis rates.
Author(s): Colleen McLuckie, Mai T. Pho, Kaitlin Ellis, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(6), 989
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
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Substance Use Disorder Treatment Policy Recommendations for the State of Louisiana: Final Report - March 2019
Assessment to inform recommendations for the state of Louisiana on timely, comprehensive, evidence-based, and sustainable treatment for opioid use disorder. Includes 8 recommendations, and discusses challenges in rural areas, such as high overdose rates, provider shortages, and lack of access to buprenorphine.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Pew Charitable Trusts
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The Availability of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction in Pennsylvania
Report details the availability of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Compares rural and urban counties and highlights MAT delivery methods to rural areas.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Harry D. Holt, Matin Katirai, Whitney Katirai
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Recommendations to the Indian Health Service on American Indian/Alaska Native Pregnant Women and Women of Childbearing Age with Opioid Use Disorder
Report details recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to the Indian Health Service on best practices for treating pregnant American Indian and Alaska Native women with opioid use disorder (OUD). Discusses screening for OUD, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and care integration, among other factors.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
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Tracking Federal Funding to Combat the Opioid Crisis
Features a report tracking the federally funded programs aimed at addressing the opioid crisis for the fiscal years 2017-2018. Highlights examples in five states where it compares total money spent by department on opioid treatment and reduction, as well as the number of opioid related deaths.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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STOP Playbook: How Health Plans Are Tackling the Opioid Crisis
Offers strategies used by health plans to address opioid misuse through the Safe, Transparent Opioid Prescribing (STOP) Initiative, which focuses on improving prescribing patterns and practices. Includes strategies and examples for increasing substance abuse treatment access in rural areas. Summarizes the health insurance impacts of the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities legislation.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AHIP
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Cross-Agency Approaches to Substance Use Disorder Prevention and Treatment: National Recommendations
Provides recommendations on how state agencies can work together to prevent and treat substance use disorder, including engaging with state offices of rural health. Offers examples from 8 states and emphasizes state efforts related to opioid misuse disorder.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
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Identifying Safety-Net Resources at Health Centers to Prevent Infectious Disease Transmission Resulting from the Opioid Epidemic
Examines challenges faced and strategies used by Community Health Centers (CHCs) in rural areas to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases in relation to opioid use. Focuses on treatment of people with opioid use disorder; prevention of HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) transmission; integration of substance use services with mental health and primary care; information sharing among health centers and Ryan White Part C providers; and challenges related to staffing, administration, finances, and social stigma. Identifies 7 facilitators of successful programs.
Author(s): Joshua Breslau, Ryan K. McBain, Molly Simmons
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RAND Corporation
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Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Save Lives
Reports on the findings from an expert committee regarding the evidence behind using medications to treat opioid use disorder, as well as issues with accessing medication-based treatment. Chapter 3 includes a section focusing on rural populations and chapter 5 addresses rural/urban differences in the number of healthcare providers waivered to prescribe buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid-use disorder.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Pain in the Nation Update: While Deaths from Alcohol, Drugs, and Suicide Slowed Slightly in 2017, Rates Are Still at Historic Highs
Issue brief details updated rates of deaths related to drugs, alcohol, and suicide from 2016-2017. Breaks down data by race, age, and regionally, including rural versus metro areas.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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