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Substance Use and Misuse in Rural Areas – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Substance Use and Misuse in Rural Areas.

Engaging Critical Access Hospitals in Addressing Rural Substance Use
Provides a framework for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to identify and address substance use needs in their communities. Includes examples of rural CAH substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery strategies.
Author(s): John Gale, Sara Kahn-Troster, Zachariah Croll, Nathan First
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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CMS Roadmap: Strategy to Fight the Opioid Crisis
An overview of the efforts the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is undertaking to address the opioid epidemic. Highlights a three-pronged approach focusing on prevention, treatment, and data utilization to target prevention and treatment activities.
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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The Implementation of a Culturally Grounded, School-Based, Drug Prevention Curriculum in Rural Hawai'i
Details the development of a school-based drug prevention program for Native Hawaiian youth. Discusses the development and implementation of the Ho'ouna Pono program curriculum and evaluates the program based on student and teacher experiences, implementation structure and logistics, and standardized testing, among other measures.
Author(s): Scott K. Okamoto, Susana Helm, Steven Keone Chin, et al.
Citation: Journal of Community Psychology, 48(4), 1085-1099
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
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Report to Congress: Reducing Barriers to Furnishing Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Services Using Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring for Pediatric Populations under Medicaid - Final Report
Details methods to reduce barriers to the use of telehealth for mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment for pediatric patients covered by Medicaid. Highlights barriers, best practices, and costs, among other measures. Features several case studies across the U.S., including in rural communities.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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A Cohort Comparison of Differences Between Regional and Buncombe County Patients of a Comprehensive Perinatal Substance Use Disorders Program in Western North Carolina
Presents a study on access to perinatal substance use disorder care in rural counties in western North Carolina compared to the more urban Buncombe County. Analyzes a hub-and-spoke model that aims to provide perinatal substance use disorder care across the state and discusses the barriers to care in rural areas.
Author(s): Shelley L. Galvin, Melinda Ramage, Catherine Leiner, et al.
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 81(3), 157-165
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
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Virtually Possible: Using Telehealth to Bring Reproductive Health Care to Women with Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Maine
Describes a program implemented by a Maine family planning clinic, in which HIV counseling, contraception, and pregnancy testing and counseling were made available to women with opioid use disorder (OUD) through meetings with a community educator and through telehealth. Explores challenges in receiving OUD care in rural Maine and discusses findings.
Author(s): Terri-Ann Thompson, Katherine A. Ahrens, Leah Coplon
Citation: mHealth
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
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Hospital Burden of Opioid-Related Inpatient Stays: Metropolitan and Rural Hospitals, 2016
Examines burden on hospitals of opioid-related hospitalizations for metropolitan, rural-adjacent to metro, and rural remote hospitals. Includes data by region. Provides detailed information by urban-rural location, including information on the distribution of opioid-related stays, bed size, and occupancy level.
Author(s): Pamela L. Owens, Audrey J. Weiss, Marguerite L. Barrett
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Beyond Opioids: Rapid Increase in Drug Deaths Involving Stimulants
Presents a breakdown of drug related deaths involving stimulants. Features a number of charts highlighting the data, including rural and urban, regional, and national comparisons.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation
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Rural-Nonrural Differences in Telemedicine Use for Mental and Substance Use Disorders Among Medicaid Beneficiaries
Presents a study on the rural and urban differences in use of telemedicine for mental and substance use disorder treatment among Medicaid beneficiaries. Breaks down data by patient demographics, year studied, and behavioral health disorder, among other measures.
Author(s): Timothy B. Creedon, Kristin E. Schrader, Peggy L. O'Brien, et al.
Citation: Psychiatric Services, 71(8), 756-764
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
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Depression, Alcohol and Farm Stress: Addressing Co-Occurring Disorders in Rural America
Offers resources to help rural healthcare providers screen farmers, farmworkers, and farm families for alcohol use disorder and depression. Discusses farm stress and covers three categories of barriers to rural substance use and mental health services: accessibility, availability, and acceptability. Includes a hypothetical case scenario to illustrate the obstacles and challenges rural farm families experience when attempting to receive care for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
Author(s): Maridee Shogren, Robin Landwehr, David Terry, Abby Roach-Moore, Andrew McLean
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network, Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Last Updated: 1/13/2025