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Rural Response to the Opioid Crisis – Resources

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

Association of Pharmaceutical Industry Marketing of Opioid Products With Mortality From Opioid-Related Overdoses
Highlights a study on the correlation between the marketing of opioids and opioid overdose mortality at a county-level. Breaks down data by participants' age, census region, and metro versus nonmetro location, among other factors.
Author(s): Scott E. Hadland, Ariadne Rivera-Aguirre, Brandon D. L. Marshall, Magdalena Cerdá
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 2(1)
Date: 01/2019
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Opioid Prescribing Rates in Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Counties Among Primary Care Providers Using an Electronic Health Record System — United States, 2014–2017
Examines opioid prescribing rates among primary care providers for six urban-rural classification categories of counties, before and after the March 2016 release of CDC's Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.
Author(s): Macarena C. García, Charles M. Heilig, Scott H. Lee, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 68(2), 25-30
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths - United States, 2013-2017
Reports on the annual number and age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths, analyzing data between both 2013 and 2017 and also between 2016 and 2017. Includes all opioids and prescription opioids, and heroin and synthetic opioids other than methadone. Includes statistics with breakdowns by metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas in addition to 34 states.
Author(s): Lawrence Scholl, Puja Seth, Mbabazi Kariisa, Nana Wilson, Grant Baldwin
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 67(5152), 1419-1427
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Opioid Epidemic in the United States: Empirical Trends, and A Literature Review of Social Determinants and Epidemiological, Pain Management, and Treatment Patterns
Analyzes trends in U.S. drug overdose mortality by key social determinants. Reports findings from a selective review of the literature on how the opioid crisis is impacting different segments of the population, including rural residents.
Author(s): Gopal K. Singh, Isaac E. Kim, Mehrete Girmay, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS, 8(2), 89-100
Date: 2019
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The Ecology of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Summarizes results from an 8-state study of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a drug withdrawal condition that may occur in newborns exposed to opioids during pregnancy. Discusses correlations to rurality, unemployment rates, poverty, and the supply of healthcare providers, and identifies potential policy interventions that could help. For interactive, county-level data, see the Simulation of County Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Rates Tool based on study findings.
Additional links: Simulation of County Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Rates Tool
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Patterns of Buprenorphine Use and Risk for Re-Arrest among Highly Vulnerable Opioid-Involved Women Released from Jails in Rural Appalachia
Study examining licit and illicit use of buprenorphine by women in the Appalachia region of Kentucky with moderate to severe opioid involvement who had recently been released from jail. Discusses the role of consistent healthcare services in relation to risk for re-arrest, presenting data on demographics, opioid use, and healthcare access over a 3-month tracking period.
Author(s): Hilary L. Surratt, Michele Staton, Carl G. Leukefeld, Carrie B. Oser, J. Matthew Webster
Citation: Journal of Addictive Diseases, 37(1-2), 1-4
Date: 12/2018
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Mandatory Reporting of Fatal and Nonfatal Opioid Overdoses in a Rural Public Health Department
Describes a mandatory reporting initiative in rural Clallam County, Washington of fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses. Offers data on reported cases from 2016-2017 including age, sex, participation in syringe exchanges, overdose characteristics, and public health services provided per case.
Author(s): Christopher J. Frank, Siri E. Kushner, David A. Doran, Jeanette Stehr-Green
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 108(12), 1646-1648
Date: 12/2018
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Red Flags and Warning Signs Ignored: Opioid Distribution and Enforcement Concerns in West Virginia
Report highlights a U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce investigation into the opioid crisis in West Virginia. Examines the policies of the various drug distribution companies who shipped opioids into the state, as well as the effectiveness of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) oversight.
Date: 12/2018
Sponsoring organization: House Committee on Energy and Commerce
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Public Health and Other Related Provisions in P.L 115-271, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act
Summarizes Title VII and VIII provisions in the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act). Addresses provisions affecting access to opioid abuse treatment and providers, data collection, child welfare, the Department of Justice, substance abuse prevention, and more. Sections highlighting rural authorize grants for first responder training, data collection on adverse childhood experiences, recovery support services, and reauthorization of the State and Tribal Response to the Opioid Abuse Crisis grant program with technical assistance for rural and underserved communities.
Date: 12/2018
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Last Updated: 4/15/2025