Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Other Case Studies and Collections of Program Examples: Substance use and misuse

In addition to RHIhub's Rural Health Models and Innovations rural program examples, you may also want to browse other case studies, databases, and websites with collections of health programs.

Each resource listed below uses its own criteria for selecting program examples, which may range from programs known to be effective based on research to anecdotal accounts. In each resource, you may want to review information on the level of evidence required for a program's inclusion.

May include non-rural programs that could be applicable to rural health delivery.

Innovations in Rural Health System Development: Federally Qualified Health Center Initiatives
Reports on Maine's Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Discusses strategies for workforce recruitment and retention, serving high-need patient populations, addressing critical community needs, and providing services that address the social determinants of health. Provides various examples of programs from across the state.
Author(s): Sara Kahn-Troster, Amanda Burgess, Andrew Coburn
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Maine Health Access Foundation, Muskie School of Public Service Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy
view details
Tackling the Opioid Crisis in a Rural Community
Discusses a partnership between a rural hospital physician and the director of a community counseling center to establish a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction in rural Maine. Presents the program's support structure, as well as the advantages of having an integrated treatment approach.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Promising Practice: Virginia SORH Taking Aim at Opioid Overdose
Illustrates how the Virginia State Office of Rural Health (VA SORH) and its partners are focusing their attention on the opioid epidemic in rural areas of the state by expanding treatment, and training lay rescuers to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose and administer naloxone when necessary.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
view details
Vermont Care Network Advocates for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Agencies
Highlights the work of the Vermont Care Network, which supports 16 non-profit agencies that provide behavioral health and developmental disability services in the state. Discusses cross-sector collaboration and integration of mental health, substance use, and developmental disability services with primary care.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 03/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Stem the Tide: Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
Presents a report on various methods hospitals and health systems can use to address the opioid epidemic. Discusses non-opioid pain management, prescribing practices, and treatment for substance use disorders, among other topics. Highlights several rural programs in the Case Examples sections.
Date: 2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
view details
Supporting the Development of Young Children in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities Who Are Affected by Alcohol and Substance Exposure
Policy statement providing recommendations that promote the early development of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children who have been exposed to alcohol and substance abuse during pregnancy or early childhood. Discusses best practices and reviews promising strategies that tribal early childhood programs can use to support children's development and wellness. Also points out health disparities that exist between tribes and the general U.S. population, and uses case studies to show where success has been achieved in reducing the destructive effects of substance abuse.
Date: 12/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
view details
Pennsylvania Mobile Team Addresses Substance Use Disorders
Features the Addiction Recovery Mobile Outreach Team (ARMOT) program, which supports patients in the recovery process and educates medical staff on addiction and recovery. ARMOT is a collaboration of three hospitals, two substance abuse providers, and the Armstrong-Indiana-Clarion Drug and Alcohol Commission.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Project ECHO's Complex Care Initiative: Building Capacity to Help "Superutilizers" in Underserved Communities
Describes a case study from the University of New Mexico's Project ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) program, which uses telehealth to support primary care clinicians in underserved areas. Focuses on a project targeting Medicaid beneficiaries with substance abuse and mental health issues, with details on two primary care teams being supported, including one in a rural New Mexico community.
Author(s): Martha Hostetter, Sarah Klein, Douglas McCarthy
Date: 08/2016
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
view details
Rural Healthy People 2020: A Companion Document to Healthy People 2020, Volume 1
Provides a rural focus for the Healthy People 2020 priorities. Includes overviews of the top 10 rural health priority areas identified by rural stakeholders. (Volume 2 discusses priorities 11-20.) Topics addressed include: health insurance, primary care, emergency services, nutrition and weight status, diabetes, mental health, substance abuse, heart disease and stroke, physical activity, older adults, maternal and child health, and tobacco use. Each overview includes reviews of the relevant literature and models that rural communities can use to address the issues. Document is available for free download, after providing brief information about intended use.
Author(s): Jane N. Bolin, Gail Bellamy, Alva O. Ferdinand, Bita Kash, Janet W. Helduser
Date: 2015
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
view details
Rural Behavioral Health Programs and Promising Practices
Examines rural behavioral health programs that were involved in a 2008 study. Reports information gathered from the study, the value of collecting and using the data to make program improvements, and finding funding for sustainability.
Date: 06/2011
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
view details