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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Illicit drug use

How One New Mexico County is Taking a Community-Wide Approach to Treating Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders
Features a McKinley County, New Mexico community consortium that takes a holistic approach to recovery. Discusses the need for cultural understanding of Native culture in providing treatment services. Describes the growth of the collaboration over time and the range of local organizations involved.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Evaluation of Post-Discharge Engagement for Emergency Department Patients with Opioid Use History Who Received Telehealth Recovery Coaching Services
Examines successful interventions for patients in emergency departments (EDs) who receive peer recovery coach (PRC) services via telehealth that support patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). Analyzes 13 EDs in Indiana who implemented telehealth PRC services starting in 2018, including 7 rural Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Includes rate of successful follow-ups proceeding PRC services broken down by patient age, sex, race, drug use method, referral types, and metro, small, or rural living location.
Author(s): Dennis P. Watson, Peter Phalen, Spencer Medcalf, Sarah Messmer, Alan McGuire
Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention,18(9)
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
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Geography, Rurality, and Community Distress: Deaths Due to Suicide, Alcohol-Use, and Drug-Use among Colorado Veterans
Explores the connection between distressed communities and mortality disparities in the Colorado veteran population. Utilizes 2009-2020 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) to examine suicide, alcohol, and drug related mortalities, with demographic data broken down by sex, age, race/ethnicity, marital status, distressed community index (DCI), and frontier, rural, or urban location. Includes county-level maps showing DCI and rurality.
Author(s): Talia L. Spark, Colleen E. Reid, Rachel Sayko Adams, et al.
Citation: Injury Epidemiology, 10, 8
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
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Over the Hills and Through the Hollers: How One Program is Assisting Residents of Appalachia with Opioid Use Recovery
Results of a study evaluating the Kentucky Access to Recovery Program (KATR), which provides services to low-income adults recovering from opioid addiction in several rural eastern Kentucky counties. Examines the impact of KATR on service recipients' access to recovery services and supports.
Author(s): Aubrey E. Jones, Jayme E. Walters, Aaron R. Brown
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 4(3), 71-86
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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I Don't Believe a Person Has to Die When Trying to Get High: Overdose Prevention and Response Strategies in Rural Illinois
Examines overdose prevention and response of service providers and people who inject drugs in rural southern Illinois. Reports on interviews with 23 participants from August 2019 through February 2020 and discusses issues such as the growing presence of fentanyl, overdose prevention, overdose reversal, harm reduction education, and more.
Author(s): Suzan M. Walters, Marisa Felsher, David Frank, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(2), 1648
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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The State of Health in Tennessee: 2023 Annual Report to the 113th Tennessee General Assembly
Provides a comprehensive overview of health in Tennessee, including health outcomes of individuals and information on the health of the state's healthcare system. Includes statistics on rural hospitals that have closed in recent years, and those at risk of closure as of 2022. Features county-level maps showing Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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Trends and Characteristics of Buprenorphine-Involved Overdose Deaths Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Details a study evaluating the rates of buprenorphine-involved overdose deaths before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the pandemic when prescribing regulations were loosened. Compares overdose mortality rates involving buprenorphine in 2019 and 2021 and breaks down data by a number of demographic factors, including rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Lauren J. Tanz, Christopher M. Jones, Nicole L. Davis, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(1), e2251856
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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2020 Rural Opioid Overdose Mortality
Highlights the rate of rural opioid overdose mortality in 2020 for several northern New England states and compares it to the national rate. Breaks down rates based on substances used as well.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction
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The University of Arizona Center for Rural Health Annual Report FY 2022-2023
Highlights the Center for Rural Health's accomplishments, and describes challenges and opportunities for improving the health of rural Arizonans in the upcoming year. Discusses the State Office of Rural Health, Arizona Rural Hospital Flexibility program (AzFLEX), the Arizona Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (AzSHIP), and other programs.
Date: 2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Arizona Center for Rural Health
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Care Coordination Between Rural Primary Care and Telemedicine to Expand Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Results from a Single-Arm, Multisite Feasibility Study
Examines the feasibility of expanding access to medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in rural areas through the use of telemedicine. Analyzes 6 rural primary care sites and their care coordination model. Includes data on patients referred to telemedicine and total number of patient-days on MOUD.
Author(s): Yih-Ing Hser, Larissa J. Mooney, Laura-Mae Baldwin, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(4), 780-788
Date: 2023
Type: Document
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