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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Illicit drug use

Eliminating the Public Health Problem of Hepatitis B and C in the United States: Phase One Report
Discusses the national burden of Hepatitis B and C infections, and assesses the feasibility of meeting national and global reduction targets or achieving complete elimination of the disease. Also addresses challenges to adapting eradication strategies in rural areas. A National Strategy for the Elimination of Hepatitis B and C: Phase Two Report recommends specific actions to accelerate eradication efforts.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 04/2016
Sponsoring organizations: Committee on a National Strategy for the Elimination of Hepatitis B and C, Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Rural Communities in Crisis: Strategies to Address the Opioid Crisis
Policy brief describing the effects of the opioid and heroin crisis in rural areas. Covers challenges to rural healthcare organizations combating this issue, and identifies and discusses policy recommendations for addressing the opioid and heroin crisis in rural communities and in rural healthcare systems.
Author(s): John A. Gale, Dave Schmitz, Michael Meit, et al.
Date: 04/2016
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Correlates to Seroprevalent Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Among Rural Appalachian Drug Users
Examines HSV-2 seroprevalence among 499 drug users in a rural Appalachian Kentucky county, and relevant demographic, behavioral, and social network factors. Features statistics on demographics, sexual behavior, and drug use.
Author(s): Dustin B. Stephens, April M. Young, Ursula L. Mullins, Jennifer R. Havens
Citation: Journal of Medical Virology, 88(3), 512-520
Date: 03/2016
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Rural Opioid Abuse: Prevalence and User Characteristics
Compares non-medical use of opioids, opiates, and heroin in rural and urban areas and assesses socioeconomic characteristics associated with their use.
Author(s): Jennifer D. Lenardson, John A. Gale, Erika C. Ziller
Date: 02/2016
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Hospitalizations for Overdose of Pain Medication and Heroin
Presents information on hospitalizations in Pennsylvania for overdoses of pain medication and heroin between 2000 and 2014. Includes data for rural and urban counties.
Date: 01/2016
Sponsoring organization: Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council
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Increases in Acute Hepatitis B Virus Infections - Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia, 2006-2013
Reports on increased rates of hepatitis B infections in three Appalachian states, particularly among injection drug users and in non-urban areas.
Author(s): Aaron M. Harris, Kashif Iqbal, Sarah Schillie, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 65(3), 47-50
Date: 01/2016
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Heroin: Combating This Growing Epidemic in PA
A report of public hearings on the epidemic of heroin and opioid abuse and overdose deaths in Pennsylvania. Includes recommendations to the state for treatment and recovery services, as well as maps and statistics by county.
Date: 12/2015
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Syringe Service Programs for Persons Who Inject Drugs in Urban, Suburban, and Rural Areas - United States, 2013
Describes characteristics of syringe service programs in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Includes information on program size, number of syringes exchanged, total funding, and whether public funding supports the program. Discusses the increase in opiate overdoses and prescription opiate use in rural areas and concerns related to the availability of syringe exchange programs in these areas.
Author(s): Don C. Des Jarlais, Ann Nugent, Alisa Solberg, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 64(48), 1337-41
Date: 12/2015
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Caring for Pregnant Opioid Abusers in Vermont: A Potential Model for Non-Urban Areas
Provides an overview of the challenges managed and the approach used for the development of a comprehensive program for the treatment of opioid dependence during pregnancy in rural Vermont.
Author(s): Marjorie Meyer, Julie Phillips
Citation: Preventive Medicine, 80, 18-22
Date: 11/2015
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Individual and Neighborhood Predictors of Mortality among HIV-Positive Latinos with History of Injection Drug Use, Florida, 2000–2011
Examines disparities as well as individual and neighborhood predictors of mortality in HIV-positive Latinos with a history of injection drug use (IDU) in Florida. Provides demographic and other information on individuals age 13 and older diagnosed with HIV, with data for those with and without a history of IDU. Offers zip code-level characteristics, including rural/urban location. Includes implications for targeting prevention strategies in rural areas.
Author(s): Diana M. Sheehan, Mary Jo Trepka, Kristopher P. Fennie, et al.
Citation: Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 154, 243-250
Date: 09/2015
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