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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Illicit drug use

Public Health Strategies for Opioid Overdoses Policy Brief
Policy brief focused on preventing rural opioid overdoses and reducing overdose deaths in rural areas. Identifies policy options and strategies including evidence-based prescribing methods, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and overdose reversing medication. Includes three brief case studies.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Drug Overdose Deaths in Appalachia
Interactive map highlights drug overdose deaths in Appalachia by county. Features demographic information such as race/ethnicity, educational attainment, and disability status, as well as economic factors such as poverty rate, unemployment rate, and accident-prone employment, among others. Choose the Appalachian Overdose Mapping Tool button when prompted to choose a tool.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Opioid Misuse in Rural America
Features information and resources pertaining to opioid misuse in rural communities. Includes USDA programs and examples of best practices.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Farm Town Strong
Website detailing information and resources to support agricultural communities affected by the opioid epidemic. Presents crisis hotlines, links to treatment centers, prevention resources, and prescription drug disposal for rural agricultural communities.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organizations: American Farm Bureau Federation, National Farmers Union
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Trends in Opioid-Related Hospitalizations
Presents data on opioid-related hospitalizations for 2009-2014 and 2016. Includes national and state-level data by patient location for metropolitan and rural areas.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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HCUP Fast Stats - Opioid-Related Hospital Use
Provides access to data on opioid-related inpatient stays and emergency department (ED) visits over a range of years. Data is available at the national and state level. To access rural data, select the Trend Graph or Trend Table view and select Patient location under Characteristics. Inpatient or ED data can be selected under Hospital Settings.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Rural Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders Toolkit
Resources and best practices to help rural communities develop substance use disorder prevention and treatment programs. Identifies program models and examples, and discusses implementation, evaluation, sustainability, and dissemination of program results.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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GEOStory of Opioid Addiction
Report containing data on issues related to the opioid epidemic in eight northern Kentucky counties. Features statistics with breakdowns on types of opioids involved in overdose deaths, cases of hepatitis, numbers of emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department
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Mapping Broadband Health in America
Connect2Health mapping tool for visualizing broadband access, demographics, and health data at the national, state, and county levels. Includes a rural filter based on the percent of the population that is rural. Health topics include access to care, chronic disease, opioids, and maternal health.
Additional links: Chronic Disease Map, Maternal Health Map, Opioids Map
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Federal Communications Commission
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