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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Illicit drug use

Illicit Drug and Opioid Use Disorders among Non-Metropolitan Residents
Provides estimates of metropolitan and non-metropolitan past year drug use disorder rates among people ages 18-64 and temporal changes in past year drug use disorder prevalence rates. Includes statistics with metropolitan and non-metropolitan breakdowns for any drug, opioid, heroin, and prescription pain reliever use disorder.
Author(s): Tyrone F. Borders, Hefei Wen
Date: 01/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Community Response Planning for Outbreaks of Hepatitis and HIV among People who Inject Drugs: A Case Study from Lenowisco Health District, A Rural Community in Virginia
Provides guidance to rural health departments when developing a comprehensive community response plan for hepatitis and HIV outbreaks among persons who inject drugs (PWIDs). Integrates key components of controlling and preventing communicable disease with emergency management strategies and community resource utilization. Offers lessons learned from the experiences of the LENOWISCO Health District located in the Appalachian region of Virginia. .
Date: 2018
Sponsoring organization: National Association of County and City Health Officials
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Evidence-Based Strategies for Preventing Opioid Overdose: What's Working in the United States
Guide for community leaders, public health, law enforcement, and others working to address the opioid crisis in their community. Identifies evidence-based practices that have been successfully implemented in the U.S. and are effective in reducing rates of opioid overdose. Includes strategies focused on naloxone distribution, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), addressing opioid use in criminal justice settings, syringe services, and more.
Author(s): Jennifer J. Carroll, Traci C. Green, Rita K. Noonan
Date: 2018
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Pharmacy Staff Perspectives on Alcohol and Medication Interaction Prevention Among Older Rural Adults
Analyzes the perspectives of pharmacy staff on alcohol and medication interaction (AMI) prevention programs, dissemination methods for AMI prevention information, and barriers to participation in prevention programs by rural older adults. Interviews were conducted with pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in 2 counties for each of the following states: Kentucky, Maryland, and Virginia. Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings were used to identify the counties selected based on their rural and national health risk profiles.
Author(s): Faika Zanjani, Hannah Allen, Rachel Vickers Smith, et al.
Citation: Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 4
Date: 2018
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Rural and Urban Substance Use Differences: Effects of the Transition to College
Details a study on the differences in alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use among college students from rural and urban areas. Looks at rates of usage for freshman, sophomores, and juniors enrolled in a large, public university in the Southeastern U.S. Breaks down data by age and sex.
Author(s): Karen J. Derefinko, Zoran Bursac, Michael G. Mejia, Richard Milich, Donald R. Lynam
Citation: The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 44(2), 224-234
Date: 2018
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Child Welfare and Substance Use
Discusses a study on the relationship between substance use, specifically opioid misuse, and child welfare caseloads. Explores reports of child abuse and foster care entries along with drug mortality rates and retail opioid sales. Features rural information in the second and third reports.
Date: 2018
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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The Opioid Crisis in Rural and Small Town America
Provides data on opioid mortality rates in 2016 and changes in opioid mortality from 1999 through 2016 for metropolitan and nonmetro counties. Also provides metro/nonmetro data on drug overdoses by type of opioid - heroin, prescription opioids, synthetic opioids, and unspecified opioids - from 1999 through 2016. Discusses challenges rural areas face in addressing the opioid crisis.
Author(s): Shannon M. Monnat, Khary K. Rigg
Date: 2018
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Portraying a More Complete Picture of Illicit Drug Use Epidemiology and Policy for Rural America: A Competing Viewpoint to the CDC's MMWR Report
Commentary on the CDC MMWR report, Illicit Drug Use, Illicit Drug Use Disorders, and Drug Overdose Deaths in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas — United States. Discusses a range of factors that may impact our understanding of nonmetropolitan drug use and identifies additional studies that have been undertaken related to nonmetro drug use. Also discusses potential differences in effective ways to address drug use in nonmetro compared to metro areas.
Author(s): Tyrone F. Borders
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(1), 3-5
Date: 2018
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Vermont Results First: Inventory and Benefit-Cost Analysis for the Department of Health/Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program's Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (Hub and Spoke)
Examines the program inventory and benefit-cost analysis of Vermont's Care Alliance for Opioid Addiction, a "Hub and Spoke" system of regional opioid treatment programs that treat individuals with opioid use disorder using medication along with counseling and supportive services.
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Criminal Research Group, Results First Initiative, Justice Research and Statistics Association, State of Vermont Blueprint for Health, Vermont Department of Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs (ADAP)
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Examining Substance Use Disorder Treatment Demand and Provider Capacity in a Changing Health Care System: Final Report
Assesses demand and capacity for substance use disorder treatment, with comparisons between years 2013 and 2016. Features statistics including numbers of clients, staff hours, percentage of facilities offering pharmacotherapies and accepting various insurance types, and distribution of specialty treatments, with breakdowns by urban and rural locations.
Author(s): Ellen Bouchery
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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