Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Illicit drug use

Ohio Addiction Policy Inventory and Scorecard: Overdose Reversal and Other Forms of Harm Reduction
Describes changes in Ohio addiction policies related to overdose reversal and harm reduction. Examines the evidence supporting the policy changes and how they will address the needs of Ohio residents. Identifies existing gaps in policy and potential opportunities for improvement. Discusses barriers rural counties face, such as limited access to harm reduction services or healthcare specialists for treatment.
Additional links: Detailed Inventory Tables, Recorded Webinar, Slides
Author(s): Amy Bush Stevens, Hailey Akah
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
view details
The Health and Economic Concerns of Rural Americans
Presentation features a discussion on the role social and economic disparities play in the health of people in rural communities. Highlights the effect the opioid crisis has had in rural areas and discusses ways communities can use local resources to combat opioid abuse. Transcript available in the video description.
Date: 11/2018
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: The Forum, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
view details
The Opioid Crisis and Economic Opportunity: Geographic and Economic Trends
Features a study on the relationship between economic opportunity and opioid use. Explores the correlation between poverty and opioid prescriptions, hospitalizations, and overdose rates. Features several nationwide maps of county-level data.
Author(s): Robin Ghertner, Lincoln Groves
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
view details
The State of Rural Health in Illinois: Great Challenges and a Path Forward
Provides information and statistics regarding rural health issues in Illinois, including healthcare shortages, opioid mortality rates, childhood abuse and dysfunction, obesity rates, housing, and more. Discusses relevant strategies to address these issues.
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
view details
Qualitative Case Study of Needle Exchange Programs in the Central Appalachian Region of the United States
Reports on a qualitative study in West Virginia to address barriers and identify supports that may impact the development of needle exchange programs (NEPs) in rural areas of the U.S. Interviews were conducted in West Virginia with program directors, police chiefs, law enforcement members, and people who inject drugs to obtain information on program implementation and operations, and future growth of NEPs.
Author(s): Stephen M. Davis, Danielle Davidov, Alfgeir L. Kristjansson, Keith Zullig, Adam Baus, et al.
Citation: PLoS One, 13(10)
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
view details
Rising Rates of Injection Drug Use Associated Infective Endocarditis in Virginia with Missed Opportunities for Addiction Treatment Referral: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Describes the geographic, clinical trends and characteristics of infective endocarditis related to injection drug use (IDU-IE). Study site serves a large rural area in West Virginia and Virginia. Counties of residence for patient admissions with IDU-IE were identified as rural or urban. Discusses opportunities for improved quality of care for people who inject drugs.
Author(s): Megan E. Gray, Elizabeth T. Rogawski McQuade, W. Michael Scheld, Rebecca A. Dillingham
Citation: BMC Infectious Disease, 18, 532
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
view details
HRSA's Home Visiting Program: Supporting Families Impacted by Opioid Use and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Resource for MIECHV Awardees
Details a report for HRSA's Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program grantees on providing support to families impacted opioid use disorder (OUD) and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Discusses methods of treatments for newborns with NAS and Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for pregnant women with OUD.
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
view details
Life in Rural America
Summarizes the results of a survey of rural adults living in the U.S. Includes survey response data and statistics on a variety of topics such as: drug addiction or abuse and opioids; the economy; health conditions; suicide; and more.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, NPR, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
view details
Federal Legislation to Address the Opioid Crisis: Medicaid Provisions in the SUPPORT Act
Brief details the Medicaid provisions in the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act. Discusses provisions aimed at treating substance use disorder(SUD) in rural areas.
Author(s): MaryBeth Musumeci, Jennifer Tolbert
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
view details
Characteristics of Prescription Opioid-Impaired and Other Substance-Impaired Drivers in Rural Appalachian Kentucky
Study examining characteristics and behaviors of prescription opioid-impaired drivers in the rural Appalachian region of Kentucky, Makes comparisons with other substance-impaired drivers using data from research interviews with 118 study participants who had been convicted of a DUI in the same county where they lived. Discusses prevalence of substance use, frequency of impaired driving, criminal activity, and mental health for prescription opioid-impaired, other drug-impaired, and alcohol only-impaired drivers.
Author(s): J. Matthew Webster, Megan F. Dickson, Faiyad Mannan, Michele Staton
Citation: Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 59(5), 373-381
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
view details