Substance Use and Misuse in Rural Areas – Resources

The Opioid Epidemic: Testing the Limits of Rural Healthcare
Discusses the factors that make rural communities vulnerable to the ongoing opioid epidemic and efforts needed in rural areas to address this crisis, including the role of rural first responders.
Author(s): Zachary Toliver
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Rural Communities in Crisis: Strategies to Address the Opioid Crisis
Policy brief describing the effects of the opioid and heroin crisis in rural areas. Covers challenges to rural healthcare organizations combating this issue, and identifies and discusses policy recommendations for addressing the opioid and heroin crisis in rural communities and in rural healthcare systems.
Author(s): John A. Gale, Dave Schmitz, Michael Meit, et al.
Date: 04/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Rural Opioid Abuse: Prevalence and User Characteristics
Compares non-medical use of opioids, opiates, and heroin in rural and urban areas and assesses socioeconomic characteristics associated with their use.
Author(s): Jennifer D. Lenardson, John A. Gale, Erika C. Ziller
Date: 02/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Increases in Acute Hepatitis B Virus Infections - Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia, 2006-2013
Reports on increased rates of hepatitis B infections in three Appalachian states, particularly among injection drug users and in non-urban areas.
Author(s): Aaron M. Harris, Kashif Iqbal, Sarah Schillie, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 65(3), 47-50
Date: 01/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Violent Victimization and Substance Dependency: Comparing Rural Incarcerated Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Women
Reports findings from a study of rural Appalachian women prisoners that looked at sexual identity and violent victimization experiences as they relate to alcohol and drug use.
Author(s): Melanie D. Otis, Carrie B. Oser, Michele Staton-Tindall
Citation: Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 16(1-2), 176-201
Date: 2016
Type: Document
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Rural Behavioral Health: Telehealth Challenges and Opportunities
Reviews the barriers to mental and substance use disorder treatment and services in rural communities. Presents ways telehealth can address these barriers and discusses the challenges in implementing telehealth services in rural areas. Addresses differences in state policies for telemedicine coverage through private insurance.
Citation: SAMHSA In Brief, 9(2)
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Alcohol Use Patterns Among Urban and Rural Residents: Demographic and Social Influences
Analyzes the rates of alcohol use and alcohol use disorder (AUD) in urban and rural areas, and addresses the impact and the consequences of alcohol use on rural populations.
Author(s): Mark A. Dixon, Karen G. Chartier
Citation: Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 38(1), 69–77
Date: 2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
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Syringe Service Programs for Persons Who Inject Drugs in Urban, Suburban, and Rural Areas - United States, 2013
Describes characteristics of syringe service programs in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Includes information on program size, number of syringes exchanged, total funding, and whether public funding supports the program. Discusses the increase in opiate overdoses and prescription opiate use in rural areas and concerns related to the availability of syringe exchange programs in these areas.
Author(s): Don C. Des Jarlais, Ann Nugent, Alisa Solberg, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 64(48), 1337-41
Date: 12/2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Caring for Pregnant Opioid Abusers in Vermont: A Potential Model for Non-Urban Areas
Provides an overview of the challenges managed and the approach used for the development of a comprehensive program for the treatment of opioid dependence during pregnancy in rural Vermont.
Author(s): Marjorie Meyer, Julie Phillips
Citation: Preventive Medicine, 80, 18-22
Date: 11/2015
Type: Document
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Perceived Ease of Access to Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Substances in Rural and Urban US Students
Examines differences in perceived ease of access to both legal and illegal substances for adolescents in rural and urban areas of Georgia. Provides statistics with breakdowns by substance, rural/urban, and middle versus high school students.
Author(s): Jacob Warren, K. Bryant Smalley, K. Nikki Barefoot
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 15(4), 3397
Date: 10/2015
Type: Document
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