This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Illicit drug use

Challenges Facing a Rural Opioid Epidemic: Treatment and Prevention of HIV and Hepatitis C
Presents a study on the current trends of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection coinciding with the opioid epidemic and the strategies for treatment and prevention in rural areas. Highlights the barriers to HIV and HCV testing and treatment for rural people who inject drugs.
Author(s): Asher J. Schranz, Jessica Barrett, Christopher B. Hurt, et al.
Citation: Current HIV/AIDS Reports, 15(3), 245-254
Date: 06/2018
view details
It's an Addiction Crisis: Across Minnesota, the "Opioid Crisis" Is So Much More Than Just Opioids
Details the opioid crisis in the state of Minnesota. Includes statistics on overdose deaths and treatment admissions for alcohol, heroin, methamphetamine, and other opiates. Covers hospital addition costs and workforce issues posing a barrier to access in rural areas. Reviews 3 rural community models working to address substance abuse.
Author(s): Marnie Werner
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
view details
Opportunities and Challenges to Utilizing Telehealth Technologies in the Provision of Medication Assisted Therapies in the Medi-Cal Program
Describes advantages and barriers to using telehealth for delivery of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to California's Medicaid enrollees, especially those in rural and underserved areas. Includes recommendations for changes to California state laws in order to alleviate the challenges. Appendix C lists states allowing telehealth prescribing.
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
view details
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
view details
SAMHSA Opioid Overdose Prevention 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
view details
Prescribing Practices of Rural Physicians Waivered to Prescribe Buprenorphine
Highlights a study on the prescribing practices of rural physicians with buprenorphine waivers, which allowed them to provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid used disorder. Findings are based on surveys of all rural physicians with a Drug Enforcement Administration prescription waiver. Breaks down data by physician specialty, practice type, and waiver type, among other factors.
Author(s): Holly A. Andrilla, Cynthia Coulthard, Davis G. Patterson
Citation: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 54(6) S3, S208-S214
Date: 06/2018
view details
Promising Practice: Summits Tackle Opioid Misuse and Treatment in Rural Illinois
Describes the Opioid Crisis Next Door summits, a series of conferences sponsored by the Illinois Center for Rural Health (ICRH) to increase the awareness of the opioid and heroin crisis in rural communities, and to identify ways for these communities to effectively respond to their misuse.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 05/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
view details
Running the Numbers: County Level Dynamics of Heroin Mortality in North Carolina
Presents a study on opioid overdose mortality in North Carolina. Compares counties that have higher rates of overdose mortality with those with lower rates and aims to identify the factors that contribute to those rates.
Author(s): Alexander H Gunn, Bryce Bartlett, Grace Feng, et al.
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 79(3), 195-200
Date: 05/2018
view details
As Fatal Overdoses Rise, Many Americans See Drug Addiction as a Major Problem in Their Community
Highlights the results of a Pew Research Center survey on fatal drug overdoses and public concern about the opioid crisis. Features data comparing rural, urban, and suburban areas.
Author(s): John Gramlich
Date: 05/2018
Sponsoring organization: Pew Research Center
view details
EMS Services in Rural America: Challenges and Opportunities
Policy brief describing challenges for rural EMS providers, including workforce shortages and inconsistent funding. Features statistics including percentage of potentially excess deaths for 5 leading causes of death, with breakdowns by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and average EMS call time response and distribution of all-volunteer and all-paid staff EMS agencies, with breakdowns by 4 levels of population density. Discusses effects of the opioid crisis and Critical Access Hospital closures on provision of EMS services.
Author(s): Nikki King, Marcus Pigman, Sarah Huling, Brian Hanson
Date: 05/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
view details