Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Prescription drug misuse

Preventing Opioid Overdose with Peer-Administered Naloxone: Findings from a Rural State
Highlights a study on the efficacy of peer-administered naloxone to prevent opioid overdose deaths. Bases conclusions on interviews with individuals who have received the training and the naloxone kits from a program in rural Alaska.
Author(s): Bridget L. Hanson, Rebecca R. Porter, Amanda L. Zöld, Heather Terhorst-Miller
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 17(1), 4
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
view details
Assessing the Needs of Front-Line Providers in Addressing the Opioid Crisis in South Carolina
Study of treatment needs for opioid use disorder (OUD) patients and staff capacity in South Carolina. Data reflects a needs assessment from 33 rural and urban agencies covering buprenorphine-waivered provider staffing, access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT), prevalence of OUD, referrals to other facilities, and barriers to providing MAT. Discusses policy and provider solutions to these issues.
Author(s): Angela Moreland, Jenna McCauley, Kelly Barth, et al.
Citation: Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 108, 4-8
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
view details
Socioeconomic Risk Factors for Fatal Opioid Overdoses in the United States: Findings from the Mortality Disparities in American Communities Study (MDAC)
Highlights a study that correlates demographic and socioeconomic status with opioid overdose fatalities. Draws data from the Mortality Disparities in American Community Study (MDAC) and compares results by rural/nonrural residence, race, employment, and educational attainment, among other measures.
Author(s): Sean F. Altekruse, Candace M. Cosgrove, William C. Altekruse, Richard A. Jenkins, Carlos Blanco
Citation: PLoS One, 15(1)
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
view details
Geographic Disparities Affect Access to Buprenorphine Services for Opioid Use Disorder
Results of a national study to determine the patient capacity of healthcare providers who received waivers to prescribe buprenorphine and the extent to which they were located in rural or urban areas with high rates of opioid abuse. Features 2018 county-level maps showing rates of patient capacity and counties with high need for treatment services.
Author(s): Christi A. Grimm
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
view details
New Mexico Substance Use Disorder Treatment Gap Analysis
An overview of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services available in the state by county. Includes alcohol-related death rates and drug overdose death rates. Presents estimates of the people living with SUD who are in treatment or are in need of treatment. Offers recommendations for additional services needed to maximize and address the current gaps in services.
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: New Mexico Department of Health
view details
A Public Health Emergency: State Efforts to Curb the Opioid Crisis
Presents the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the outcomes of public health efforts to combat the opioid crisis. Features testimony from representatives of the Rhode Island Department of Health, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, and the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.
Date: 01/2020
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Committee on Energy and Commerce
view details
Rural Community Action Guide: Building Stronger, Healthy, Drug-Free Rural Communities
Provides an overview of challenges rural communities face related to substance use disorder (SUD), including prescription opioid misuse. Identifies action steps rural communities can take related to prevention, treatment, recovery, and SUD-related issues such as stigma, transportation barriers, and lack of employment opportunities. Features programs that are working to address these issues in rural communities.
Additional links: Promising Practices Supplement
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of National Drug Control Policy
view details
Opioid Use Disorder: Barriers to Medicaid Beneficiaries' Access to Treatment Medications
Examines Medicaid beneficiaries' access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder. Identifies state and federal policies that can impose barriers to MAT medications. Highlights how 3 states and the District of Columbia are addressing these barriers. Discusses challenges to medication deliveries to rural and small practices and access to addiction medicine providers in rural areas.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Views of Rural US Adults About Health and Economic Concerns
Results of phone surveys of 1705 rural adults, conducted in 2018 and 2019. Explores their views on the most important problems facing their communities, including healthcare access and costs, suicide, and opioid or other drug abuse.
Author(s): Mary G. Findling, Robert J. Blendon, John M. Benson, Justin M. Sayde, Carolyn E. Miller
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 3(1)
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
view details
Does a Rural Community-Based Intervention Improve Knowledge and Attitudes of Opioid Use Disorder and Medication-Assisted Treatment? A Report From the IT MATTTRs Study
Details a study on the effect of a community-based intervention on a rural Colorado community's perception and knowledge of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD). Bases findings on surveys of community members both before and after the intervention. Breaks down participant data by age, race, and affiliation to the study, among other measures.
Author(s): Kristen Curcija, Linda Zittleman, Mary Fisher, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 38(1), 120-128
Date: 2020
Type: Document
view details