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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Substance use and misuse

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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Rural Barriers to Early Lung Cancer Detection: Exploring Access to Lung Cancer Screening Programs in New Hampshire and Vermont
Evaluates how geographic access to lung cancer screening facilities is related to population density, adult smoker distribution, and education level in New Hampshire and Vermont. Utilizes 2013-2017 County Health Rankings data. Discusses the significance of rural-urban access disparities in lung cancer screening, and describes the value of identifying access barriers.
Author(s): Rian M. Hasson, Kayla A. Fay, Joseph D. Phillips, Timothy M. Millington, David J. Finley
Citation: American Journal of Surgery, 221(4), 725-730
Date: 04/2021
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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Escalating Alcohol-Involved Death Rates: Trends and Variation across the Nation and in the States from 2006 to 2019
Examines alcohol-involved deaths by state and at the national level, discussing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vital statistics data. Explores death rate changes, trends, and variation, comparing state rates to U.S. rates and comparing rates across demographic and age groups, by sex, and by urban/rural location. Offers a map with links to infographics for each state.
Additional links: Issue Brief
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: State Health Access Data Assistance Center
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Rural Suicide Prevention: Reviewing the Evidence and Gaps
Cyberseminar discusses current state of suicide prevention for rural veterans. Highlights data, risk and protective factors, and current and potential prevention practices. Details knowledge gaps and makes recommendations for researchers.
Additional links: Audio Recording, Presentation Slides
Author(s): Nate Mohatt
Date: 04/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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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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Looking at the Rural Homelessness Experience: Definitions, Data, and Solutions
Explains how homelessness impacts health. Features a Vermont organization's work using the evidence-based Housing First model to help people with mental health and substance use challenges and others who lack social supports and have housing needs.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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