Substance Use and Misuse in Rural Areas – Resources

Rural Health Opioid Program Funds Care Coordination Efforts for Recovery
Highlights programs funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy that provide opioid treatment and recovery care coordination. An Ohio program uses care coordination in an existing syringe exchange program and county family drug court, a Kentucky program focuses on helping prisoners, and a Montana program reaches new and expectant mothers.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Entertainment-Education Videos as a Persuasive Tool in the Substance Use Prevention Intervention "keepin' it REAL"
Examines the effects of engagement by adolescents receiving a substance use prevention curriculum offering entertainment-education videos on alcohol use by youth and communication skills to refuse drug offers. Seventh grade students from two rural public schools were assigned to two versions of the keepin' it REAL prevention curriculum – one rural based and one urban based. Discusses the pre/post surveys taken by students at the beginning and the end of 7th grade.
Author(s): YoungJu Shin, Michelle Miller-Day, Michael L. Hecht, Janice L. Krieger
Citation: Health Communication, 33(7) 896-906
Date: 07/2018
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Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, June 2018
Provides an in-depth examination of and makes recommendations on two critical issues, the high cost of prescription drugs and the opioid epidemic, as they relate to Medicaid. The opioid section includes discussion of rural access to treatment for substance use disorder. Also discusses Medicaid's role as the nation's largest payer for long-term services and supports.
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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SAMHSA Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit
Provides strategies for healthcare providers, communities, and local governments to help prevent opioid-related overdoses and deaths. Includes facts for community members, essential steps for first responders, information for prescribers, safety advice for patients and family members, and resources for overdose survivors and their families.
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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The Geographic Variation in the Cost of the Opioid Crisis
Presents a study on the economic costs of the opioid crisis across the nation. Features state-by-state and county-level data on the monetary burden of opioid misuse on communities.
Author(s): Alex Brill, Scott Ganz
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: American Enterprise Institute
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What's MAT Got to Do with It? Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural America
Provides an overview of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), an evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder, with information on the science behind the disorder and how three MAT medications work. Highlights rural health organizations providing MAT treatment.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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The Opioid Crisis: The Role of Technology and Data in Preventing and Treating Addiction
Highlights the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) hearing on the use of data and technology interventions in combating the opioid epidemic. Features testimony from representatives of Express Scripts, the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws, the Santa Clara University Public Health Program, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Date: 02/2018
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Portraying a More Complete Picture of Illicit Drug Use Epidemiology and Policy for Rural America: A Competing Viewpoint to the CDC's MMWR Report
Commentary on the CDC MMWR report, Illicit Drug Use, Illicit Drug Use Disorders, and Drug Overdose Deaths in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas — United States. Discusses a range of factors that may impact our understanding of nonmetropolitan drug use and identifies additional studies that have been undertaken related to nonmetro drug use. Also discusses potential differences in effective ways to address drug use in nonmetro compared to metro areas.
Author(s): Tyrone F. Borders
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(1), 3-5
Date: 2018
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Rural Youth Fight for Tobacco-Free Communities
Highlights teen-led programs to prevent tobacco use in rural Kentucky, Vermont, and Montana. Discusses the impact youth can have on local and state policy related to tobacco, and well as the effectiveness youth have in reaching their peers on this issue.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2017
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Implementing Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Primary Care: Environmental Scan Volume 1
Details challenges and barriers to implementing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) in a primary care setting, such as healthcare policy, workforce, and financing, among others. Includes 250 tools and resources to help overcome barriers and support implementation MAT in rural areas.
Additional links: Volume 2: Tools and Resources
Author(s): Garrett E. Moran, Caroline M. Snyder, Rebecca F. Noftsinger, Joshua K. Noda
Date: 10/2017
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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