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Resources by Topic: Illicit drug use

Medicaid & State Telehealth Policy – Medicaid Telehealth Policy & Substance Use Disorder
Webinar covering state and federal Medicaid telehealth policy for the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD). Offers an overview of telehealth, its expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its application in SUD treatment with examples from Arkansas and Philadelphia. Also covers research on disparities in drug-related mortality and access to treatment during the pandemic. Captions are available by clicking "CC" at the bottom of the video pane.
Additional links: Presentation slide deck
Date: 06/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
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State of the State: An Update on Illinois' Opioid Statistics
Presents Illinois opioid statistics as well as national statistics. Includes 2019-2021 Illinois opioid fatality rate by rural, small urban, suburban, and urban county. Presents statewide overdose data by substance type as well as specifically opioid overdose data by user age and user race/ethnicity.
Author(s): Jennifer Epstein
Date: 06/2022
Type: Presentation Slides
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Department of Public Health
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Characteristics of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Evaluated for Substance Use and Treatment Planning — United States, 2019
Examines past 30-day substance use patterns for alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, illicit stimulants, heroin, illicit fentanyl, prescription opioid misuse, prescription stimulant misuse, and prescription sedative, tranquilizer, and sleeping pill use. Also looks at the severity of problems experienced in these areas: alcohol, drug, employment, family, legal, medical, and psychiatric issues. Includes data for metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural areas.
Author(s): Akadia Kacha-Ochana, Christopher M. Jones, Jody L. Green, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(23), 749-756
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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A Rural Community's Perspective on the Causes of and Solutions to the Opioid Crisis in Southern Virginia: A Qualitative Study
Results of a study to gain insight into the perceptions, knowledge, and experiences of members of a southern Virginia rural community affected by the opioid crisis, to inform the development of local strategies to address the problem. Examines barriers and facilitators to treatment programs and offers recommendations for targeting populations at risk.
Author(s): Angelina J. Hargrove, Carlin Rafie, Emily Zimmerman, Dawn E. Moser
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 22(2), 7152
Date: 06/2022
Type: Document
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Pain in the Nation: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths - Special Feature: Two Decades of the Drug Overdose Crisis
Highlights the rates of drug, alcohol, and suicide deaths in the U.S. in 2020 and from 1999 to 2020. Explores the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on deaths of despair and the state of the ongoing opioid crisis. Breaks down data by age, region, and rurality, among other measures.
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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Rx for the Rural Healthcare Workforce and Access to Care
Podcast with Tom Morris of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy about trends related to the rural healthcare workforce and efforts to overcome challenges. Discusses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, rural hospital closures, telehealth, graduate medical education in rural areas, community health workers and community paramedics, funding opportunities to promote healthcare access in rural areas, the opioid crisis, and more.
Author(s): Jessica Nicholson
Date: 05/2022
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: The Conference Board
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Expanded Naloxone Distribution to Reduce Rural Opioid Overdose Mortality
Discusses a study on the effect community-based and pharmacy-initiated naloxone distribution has had on rates of rural opioid overdose mortality. Highlights an intervention that expands naloxone access points in rural communities and pharmacies in addition to traditional provider-based treatment.
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction
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Exploring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Syringe Services Programs in Rural Kentucky
Describes ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic affected syringe services programs (SSP) operations, using data from interviews conducted in 2020 with 18 people involved in SSP implementation in rural Kentucky counties.
Author(s): Jennifer L. Glick, Suzanne M. Grieb, Samantha J. Harris, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 19(47)
Date: 05/2022
Type: Document
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National Drug Control Strategy
Report highlights the Biden Administration's overall strategy for controlling drug use across the country. Addresses harm reduction, prevention, and education, as well as increasing access to treatment in rural, tribal, and underserved areas.
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of National Drug Control Policy
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Assessment of Community-Level Vulnerability and Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
Study examining access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in relation to social vulnerability to disasters based on zip code tabulation data (ZCTA) for 32,604 counties in the continental U.S. Discusses differences in geographic access to MOUD for rural and urban areas and the potential impacts of disasters on that access, highlighting potential interventions to bolster access to treatment.
Author(s): Paul J. Joudrey, Marynia Kolak, Qinyun Lin, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 5(4), e227028
Date: 04/2022
Type: Document
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