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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Substance use and misuse

Key Findings from RAND Health Care Research on Telehealth Policy
Brief examining the implications of telehealth policy for emergency response, treatment for behavioral health, maternal healthcare, and healthcare access.
Author(s): Lori Uscher-Pines, Shira H. Fischer
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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The 2018 Farm Bill (P.L. 115-334): Summary and Side-by-Side Comparison
Analyzes the 2018 Farm Bill by comparing House and Senate versions of the bill and the previous 2014 bill. Includes important rural provisions addressing substance abuse treatment, telemedicine funding, broadband access, and rural hospital loans.
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Addressing the Spectrum of Opioid Misuse Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery in Rural Washington State Communities: Provider Identified Barriers and Needs
Highlights a study on provider-identified barriers to opioid use disorder treatment, recovery, and prevention in rural Washington State. Draws conclusions from survey data taken from July-September 2020 and features some discussion of COVID-19 on top of other pre-existing barriers. Breaks down data by role in healthcare workforce, work setting, and substance focus, among other factors.
Author(s): Liat S. Kriegel, Katherine Hampilos, Elizabeth Weybright, et al.
Citation: Community Mental Health Journal, 60(3), 600-607
Date: 04/2024
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Perspectives on Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Access and Engagement from Rural Family Members and People in Treatment
Reports on interviews with 20 family members in rural Vermont of people using either medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) or illicit opioids. Highlights themes identified include facilitators and barriers to MOUD treatment access and engagement, recovery success, unmet needs, and recommendations for improvement to care. Discusses overlap and key differences in themes between family members and people in treatment in previously published reports.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Substance Use Research and Evaluation, University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction
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Fatal Overdoses Among Vermont Residents
Offers data on overdose deaths in Vermont through 2023 including drug types, manner of death, trends over time, demographic characteristics, and policy measures. Includes county-level data in Appendix 1 and 2.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Vermont Department of Health
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Primary Care Providers' Experiences Treating Opioid Use Disorder Using Telehealth in the Height of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Presents a study of the experiences of primary care providers who used telehealth for opioid use disorder treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Draws on the insights of participants from rural and urban counties in Kentucky and Arkansas and compares the experiences of rural and urban providers.
Author(s): Sarah Alexandra Marshall, Lachan E. Siebenmorgen, Nickolas Zaller, et al.
Citation: Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, 15
Date: 04/2024
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Implementing Harm Reduction Initiatives in Rural Communities
Webinar recording discusses substance use harm reduction, such as safe syringe services. Features a discussion of Project Hope in Menominee, WI and highlights it's successes and challenges in establishing community buy-in and financial sustainability, among other topics.
Additional links: Webinar Slides
Author(s): Eric Atkinson
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Mountain Plains Addiction Technology Transfer Center (Mountain Plains ATTC)
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NCHS Rapid Surveys System: Illegal Drugs and Naloxone (Narcan) Awareness
Interactive data showing awareness of and perspectives on access to prescription medication, illegal drugs, and naloxone. Includes data breakdown by urbanicity and other demographic and geographic characteristics. Data gathered by the National Center for Health Statistics between October and November 2023.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Rural Mental Health: Challenges & Opportunities
Webinar recording discusses barriers to rural mental health access and offers strategies for overcoming those barriers. Presents Kansas and Missouri as examples. Details unintentional injury fatalities in metro versus nonmetro areas.
Author(s): Angie Schindler-Berg
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network
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Changes in Buprenorphine Prescribing in Community Health Centers
Analyzes changes from 2016 to 2021 in prescriptions of buprenorphine in Community Health Centers (CHCs) to treat opioid addiction. Utilizes data from the OCHIN Inc network of CHCs to analyze patient and clinic/clinician characteristics, including rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Daniel M. Hartung, Robert W. Voss, Steffani R. Bailey, Nathalie Huguet, John Muench
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 5(4)
Date: 04/2024
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