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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Substance use and misuse

Rx for the Rural Healthcare Workforce and Access to Care
Podcast with Tom Morris of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy about trends related to the rural healthcare workforce and efforts to overcome challenges. Discusses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, rural hospital closures, telehealth, graduate medical education in rural areas, community health workers and community paramedics, funding opportunities to promote healthcare access in rural areas, the opioid crisis, and more.
Author(s): Jessica Nicholson
Date: 05/2022
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: The Conference Board
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Expanded Naloxone Distribution to Reduce Rural Opioid Overdose Mortality
Discusses a study on the effect community-based and pharmacy-initiated naloxone distribution has had on rates of rural opioid overdose mortality. Highlights an intervention that expands naloxone access points in rural communities and pharmacies in addition to traditional provider-based treatment.
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction
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Exploring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Syringe Services Programs in Rural Kentucky
Describes ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic affected syringe services programs (SSP) operations, using data from interviews conducted in 2020 with 18 people involved in SSP implementation in rural Kentucky counties.
Author(s): Jennifer L. Glick, Suzanne M. Grieb, Samantha J. Harris, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 19(47)
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
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National Drug Control Strategy
Report highlights the Biden Administration's overall strategy for controlling drug use across the country. Addresses harm reduction, prevention, and education, as well as increasing access to treatment in rural, tribal, and underserved areas.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of National Drug Control Policy
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Vermont: A Health-Focused Landscape Analysis
Chartbook examining population health and healthcare access in Vermont, identifying strengths and assets as well as opportunities for improvement. Features demographics and statistics on quality of care, health outcomes, health behaviors, and mortality rates and causes, with breakdowns by rural and urban counties. Includes maps showing locations of Health Professional Shortage Areas, substance use treatment facilities, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and hospitals.
Author(s): Katherine Ahrens, Amanda Burgess, Carly Milkowski, et al.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Rural Health Research Center, Northern Border Regional Commission
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New York: A Health-Focused Landscape Analysis
Chartbook examining population health and healthcare access in New York, identifying strengths and assets as well as opportunities for improvement. Features demographics and statistics on quality of care, health outcomes, health behaviors, and mortality rates and causes, with breakdowns by rural and urban counties. Includes maps showing locations of Health Professional Shortage Areas, substance use treatment facilities, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and hospitals.
Author(s): Katherine Ahrens, Amanda Burgess, Carly Milkowski, et al.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Rural Health Research Center, Northern Border Regional Commission
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Maine: A Health-Focused Landscape Analysis
Chartbook examining population health and healthcare access in Maine, identifying strengths and assets as well as opportunities for improvement. Features demographics and statistics on quality of care, health outcomes, health behaviors, and mortality rates and causes, with breakdowns by rural and urban counties. Includes maps showing locations of Health Professional Shortage Areas, substance use treatment facilities, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and hospitals.
Author(s): Katherine Ahrens, Amanda Burgess, Carly Milkowski, et al.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Rural Health Research Center, Northern Border Regional Commission
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The Northern Border Region: A Health-Focused Landscape Analysis
Chartbook examining population health and healthcare access for Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, and for the region overall. Identifies strengths and assets of the Northern Border region states, as well as opportunities for improvement. Features demographics and statistics on quality of care, health outcomes, health behaviors, mortality rates and causes, Health Professional Shortage Areas, telehealth policies, and telehealth grants awarded from 2018-2021. Includes maps showing locations of substance use treatment facilities, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and hospitals.
Author(s): Katherine Ahrens, Amanda Burgess, Carly Milkowski, et al.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Rural Health Research Center, Northern Border Regional Commission
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Cancer Screening among Rural People Who Use Drugs: Colliding Risks and Barriers
Examines cancer screening trends related to people who use drugs (PWUD) from 37 participant surveys and 8 follow-up interviews conducted between July 2020 and July 2021. Discusses issues of healthcare access and stigma for PWUD and how these issues impact cancer disparities in rural areas.
Author(s): Wiley D. Jenkins, Jennifer Rose, Yamile Molina, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8)
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
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Structural and Community Changes During Covid-19 and Their Effects on Overdose Precursors among Rural People Who Use Drugs: A Mixed-Methods Analysis
Discusses the impact COVID-19 had on structural interventions to prevent drug overdose from August 2020 to May 2021 in rural Illinois. Reports on quantitative survey data such as drug use history and COVID-19 impacts of 50 participants and includes interview responses related to themes such as employment, housing, stigma, mental health, and drug market disruptions from 17 participants.
Author(s): Suzan M. Walters, Rebecca S. Bolinski, Ellen Almirol, et al.
Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 17, 24
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
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