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Resources by Topic: Prescription drug misuse

From the Front Lines: COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts in Rural Communities Hit by the Opioid Epidemic
Examines the COVID-19 response, including testing, contact tracing, and vaccination efforts, of HRSA Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) grantees. Discusses challenges related to vaccination efforts to reach rural individuals with substance use disorder/opioid use disorder and other rural residents.
Date: 05/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: JBS International, Inc.
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Pain in the Nation: Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Epidemics - Special Feature: COVID-19 and Trauma
Explores the effect the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent trauma it has had on rates of suicide and alcohol- and drug-induced deaths across the nation. Breaks down data by a number of indicators, such as by age, race, and rural versus urban location.
Date: 05/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Medicare-Paid Naloxone: Trends in Non-Metropolitan and Metropolitan Areas Metropolitan Areas
Policy brief examining Medicare-paid naloxone dispensing, comparing rates in non-metro and metro areas nationwide. Provides year-by-year data by payer type for 2013-2018, including insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare Part D. Compares numbers of Medicare-paid naloxone prescriptions year-to-year for retail pharmacies, comparing rate changes for rural and metro areas.
Author(s): Chris Delcher, Yue Cheng, Minji Sohn, Jeffery C. Talbert, Patricia R. Freeman
Date: 05/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Telemedicine Increases Access to Buprenorphine Initiation During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Discusses the expanded access to buprenorphine prescription through telemedicine during COVID-19, comparing the experiences of two harm reduction primary care programs in a rural and urban region of New York. Discusses reduced barriers to treatment, particularly delays due to in-person evaluation requirements before to the pandemic, and innovations to opioid use disorder treatment made possible through telehealth.
Author(s): Linda Wang, Jeffrey Weiss, Elizabeth Bogel Ryan, et al.
Citation: Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 124, 108272
Date: 05/2021
Type: Document
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Understanding Declining Rates of Drug Overdose Mortality in Eastern Kentucky
Identifies policies and strategies that might have contributed to the decline in drug overdose mortality in the 5-year periods from 2008-2012 to 2013-2017 in 8 counties in eastern Kentucky. Offers recommendations for approaches that could be implemented in other communities. Includes statistics on overdose mortality in 8 eastern Kentucky counties; a county-level map showing changes in rates of overdose mortality in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Ohio; and a graph showing rates of overdose mortality in the Appalachian counties of Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia from 1999-2019.
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health
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HIV and Hepatitis C in Rural Areas: Prevalence, Service Availability, and Challenges
Webinar recording discusses the prevalence of HIV and maternal hepatitis C in rural communities. Compares infection rates in rural versus urban areas and highlights changes over time. Makes recommendations regarding testing, treatment, and harm reduction services.
Additional links: Presentation Slides, Video Recording, Webinar Transcript
Date: 04/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Rural and Urban Experiences with EMS Overdose Treatment
Results of a survey of 90 urban and rural emergency medical service (EMS) providers practicing in Indiana during the period from November 2020 to March 2021, to determine how many training hours they receive and how comfortable they are with treating opioid overdoses and general drug overdoses. Features survey responses with breakdowns by urban and rural location. Poster presented at the 2021 RTT Collaborative Annual Meeting.
Author(s): Brycen Ratcliffe, Robin Danek, Ellen Ireland, Eric Reyes
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Indiana University School of Medicine
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Guide for Future Directions for the Addiction and OUD Treatment Ecosystem
Details strategies for addressing the opioid use epidemic and improving the current addiction treatment ecosystem. Breaks down the strategies by capacity, competency, consistency, and compensation. Discusses some of the barriers to treating opioid use disorder in rural areas.
Author(s): R. Corey Waller, Kelly J. Clark, Alex Woodruff, et al.
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy of Medicine
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The Opioid Epidemic: A Geography in Two Phases
Examines population and geographic data on 2 phases of the U.S. opioid epidemic. Examines the association between overdose deaths and chronic pain, physical disability rates, and economic hardship. Discusses the shift from overdose mortality associated with prescription opioids to illicit and synthetic opioids in the early 2010s, including in rural areas and the Northeastern U.S.
Additional links: Report Summary
Author(s): David A. McGranahan, Timothy S. Parker
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Addressing Opioid-Related Outcomes Among Individuals With Co-Occurring Behavioral Health Conditions: An Environmental Scan of Quality Measures
Presents the results of an environmental scan of healthcare quality measures relevant to addressing polysubstance use among individuals with co-occurring behavioral health conditions. Includes information on access to buprenorphine providers in rural communities.
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Quality Forum
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