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Rural Response to the Opioid Crisis – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Response to the Opioid Crisis.

COVID-19 During the Opioid Epidemic – Exacerbation of Stigma and Vulnerabilities
Explores how the lack of healthcare infrastructure in rural areas and the COVID-19 pandemic create particular challenges for people who use drugs (PWUDs). Discusses the stigma of seeking care during a pandemic and the difficulty of accessing living resources, among other issues affecting PWUDs in rural areas.
Author(s): Wiley D. Jenkins, Rebecca Bolinski, John Bresett, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 172-174
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
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A Primary Care Response to COVID‐19 for Patients with an Opioid Use Disorder
Discusses the challenges of treating patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlights decisions made by primary care physicians regarding harm reduction related to COVID-19 that may have detrimental effects for OUD patient.
Author(s): Courtenay Gilmore Wilson, Melinda Ramage, E. Blake Fagan
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 37(1), 169-171
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
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Treating a Public Health Crisis for Rural Moms – A Comparative Analysis of Four Rural States Addressing Maternal Opioid Misuse with Medicaid Innovation Models
Discusses how four states - Colorado, Indiana, Maine, and Missouri - have used the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) model to address maternal opioid use disorders among rural Medicaid beneficiaries. Compares different approaches taken by each state, including benefit eligibility, health insurance payers and health systems partnerships, and telehealth utilization.
Author(s): Jason Semprini
Citation: Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy, 16(2)
Date: 2021
Type: Document
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Community of Practice: Preventing and Reducing the Stigma of Substance Use Disorders in Rural Communities - Implementation and Lessons Learned
Report discusses strategies for reducing stigma around substance use disorders (SUDs) and SUD treatment in rural communities. Details the implementation of Communities of Practice sessions with participants and breaks down participant data and session timeline.
Date: 2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Great Lakes PTTC, Prevention Technology Transfer Center Network
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Opioid Initiation and Injection Transition in Rural Northern New England: A Mixed-methods Approach
Highlights a study on opioid initiation and transition to opioid injection in rural New England. Bases findings on interviews with opioid users in 11 rural counties in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Tracks the time and circumstances of first opioid use to first opioid injection.
Author(s): Kerry Nolte, Aurora L. Drew, Peter D. Friedmann, et al.
Citation: Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 217(1), 108256
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
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Cost-Effectiveness of Scaling Up HCV Prevention and Treatment in the United States for People Who Inject Drugs
Highlights the cost-effectiveness of combining medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and syringe-service programs (SSP) with hepatitis C (HCV) treatment for people who inject drugs. Compares services for patients in rural Perry County, KY; and urban San Fransisco, CA.
Author(s): Carolina Barbosa, Hannah Fraser, Thomas J. Hoerger, et al.
Citation: Addiction, 114(12), 2267-2278
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
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Opioids in Medicaid: Concerns About Opioid Use Among Beneficiaries in Six Appalachian States in 2018
Examines the rates of opioid use of Medicaid beneficiaries in 6 Appalachian states in 2018. Discusses the amount of the prescriptions issued, the amounts of opioids received, and the amount of providers with questionable prescribing practices, among other opioid-related measures.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Few Patients Received High Amounts of Opioids from IHS-Run Pharmacies
Presents an evaluation of the opioid prescribing practices of the Indian Health Service (IHS). Bases analysis on IHS opioid prescribing data, discusses the role of electronic health records (EHRs) in monitoring opioid prescriptions, and makes recommendations to improve monitoring.
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Addressing Opioid Overdose Deaths: The Vision for the HEALing Communities Study
Highlights a study on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ongoing HEALing Communities Study (HCS), which began in 2019 with the goal of reducing opioid overdose deaths by 40% over 3 years. Discusses the intersection of the two crises across the country and discusses the variations in rural and urban locations.
Author(s): Redonna K. Chandlera, Jennifer Villani, Thomas Clarke, et al.
Citation: Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 217, 108329
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
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Supporting Children and Families Affected by the Opioid Epidemic - Emerging Policy Considerations
Explores the effect of the opioid crisis on children and their families and makes policy recommendations. Breaks down rural and urban differences in opioid use and access to behavioral healthcare and discusses the policy implications of those differences.
Author(s): Laudan Y. Aron, Sarah Benatar, Rebecca Peters
Date: 11/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Last Updated: 5/1/2024