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Resources by Topic: Opioids

Few Patients Received High Amounts of Opioids from IHS-Run Pharmacies
Presents an evaluation of the opioid prescribing practices of the Indian Health Service (IHS). Bases analysis on IHS opioid prescribing data, discusses the role of electronic health records (EHRs) in monitoring opioid prescriptions, and makes recommendations to improve monitoring.
Date: 12/2020
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Addressing Opioid Overdose Deaths: The Vision for the HEALing Communities Study
Highlights a study on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the HEALing Communities Study (HCS), which began in 2019 with the goal of reducing opioid overdose deaths by 40% over 3 years. Discusses the intersection of the two crises across the country and discusses the variations in rural and urban locations.
Author(s): Redonna K. Chandlera, Jennifer Villani, Thomas Clarke, et al.
Citation: Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 217, 108329
Date: 12/2020
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Supporting Children and Families Affected by the Opioid Epidemic - Emerging Policy Considerations
Explores the effect of the opioid crisis on children and their families and makes policy recommendations. Breaks down rural and urban differences in opioid use and access to behavioral healthcare and discusses the policy implications of those differences.
Author(s): Laudan Y. Aron, Sarah Benatar, Rebecca Peters
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Substance Use among Rural and Urban Youth and Young Adults
Details substance use of youth aged 12-17 and young adults aged 18-25 in rural and urban areas. Looks specifically on use of alcohol, marijuana, illicit drugs, and the misuse of prescription pain relievers and compares usage trends in rural areas to those in urban areas.
Author(s): Jennifer Lenardson, Nathan Paluso, Erika Ziller
Date: 11/2020
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Addressing Opioid Use Disorder among Rural Pregnant and Postpartum Women: A Study Protocol
Explores a study examining the rates of prenatal opioid use disorder and neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome in rural areas. Study includes provider-level measurements such as patient retention, adoption of evidence-based practices, and attitude towards substance misuse, among others, and patient-level measurements such as substances used, co-occurring conditions, and birth outcomes, among others.
Author(s): M. Aryana Bryan, Marcela C. Smid, Melissa Cheng, et al.
Citation: Addiction Science and Clinical Practice, 15, 33
Date: 10/2020
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The American Opioid Epidemic in Special Populations: Five Examples
Report on the disproportionate impacts of the opioid crisis on populations, in the criminal justice system, rural residents, veterans, young adults, and individuals who inject drugs. Offers statistical data for each group and discussion of opioid use disorder and mortality, barriers to treatment, promising strategies to address treatment issues, and research and policy priorities. Section on rural populations offers data on drug overdose deaths, rates of opioid prescription, and the association between economic distress and opioid-involved deaths.
Author(s): Carlos Blanco, Mir M. Ali, Aaron Beswick, et al.
Date: 10/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Academy of Medicine
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Polysubstance Use among Pregnant Women with Opioid Use Disorder in the United States, 2007–2016
Details a study on polysubstance use, or the use of multiple substances at once, by pregnant women from 2007-2016. Breaks down results by demographic data such as age and socioeconomic status, as well as by substances used and rural versus urban location.
Author(s): Marian P. Jarlenski, Nicole C. Paul, Elizabeth E. Krans
Citation: Obstetrics and Gynecology, 136(3), 556-564
Date: 09/2020
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Willingness to Participate in At-Home HIV Testing Among Young Adults Who Use Opioids in Rural Appalachia
Explores a study on the willingness of people who use drugs to take at-home HIV tests in rural Appalachian Kentucky. Breaks down data by participant's age, sex, and syringe usage, among others.
Author(s): April M. Ballard, Regine Haardöerfer, Nadya Prood, et al.
Citation: AIDS and Behavior, 25, 699-708
Date: 09/2020
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Tracking FY2019 Federal Funding to Combat the Opioid Crisis
Report covering the allocation of federal resources for opioid initiatives at the federal, state, and local level. Presents data on federal funding and offers case studies of state and county-level spending data for Ohio, Arizona, Louisiana, Washington, Tennessee, and New Hampshire. Makes policy recommendations and briefly discusses grant initiatives that target rural-specific barriers to treatment.
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Rural Variation of Medicaid Expansion on Access to Naloxone
Poster examining the rate of naloxone prescriptions dispensed by retail pharmacies between 2011 and 2017. Compares the rate of naloxone prescriptions before and after Medicaid expansion and as the rural population increased.
Author(s): Yue Cheng, Minji Sohn, Patricia R. Freeman, Eugene Shin, Chris Delcher
Date: 09/2020
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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