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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Prescription drug misuse

Results from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables
Provides data on use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, trends in substance use disorder and mental health, and access to treatment for youth 12-17 and adults. Features statistics for a variety of demographic and geographic characteristics.
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Overdose Deaths Related to Fentanyl and Its Analogs — Ohio, January-February 2017
Reports findings from a study of 281 unintentional overdose fatalities in 25 Ohio counties from January-February 2017, checking for the presence of fentanyl analogs, opioids, and other drugs. Includes demographic and drug data by type of county, including data for rural and Appalachian counties.
Additional links: Errata
Author(s): Raminta Daniulaityte, Matthew P. Juhascik, Kraig E. Strayer, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 66(34), 904-908
Date: 09/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Heartache, Pain, and Hope: Rural Communities, Older People, and the Opioid Crisis: An Introduction for Funders
Provides an overview of the opioid crisis and its impact on the lives of older adults. Addresses both opioid use by older adults and addiction within older adults' families. Identifies solutions being implemented by governments, communities, healthcare providers, and funders to address these concerns. Includes policy recommendations.
Date: 08/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Grantmakers In Aging
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Patient Residence Characteristics of Opioid-Related Inpatient Stays and Emergency Department Visits Nationally and by State, 2014
Provides data on opioid-related hospital inpatient stays and emergency department (ED) visits from 2005 to 2014. Includes data by location of patient residence for metropolitan and rural areas. Identifies states where the highest rates of opioid-related inpatient stays and ED visits are in rural areas. Also provides data by community-level income.
Author(s): Audrey J. Weiss, Molly K. Bailey, Lauren O'Malley, et al.
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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SLV N.E.E.D. (Naloxone - Education - Empowerment - Distribution)
Video featuring the San Luis Valley N.E.E.D. (Naloxone - Education - Empowerment - Distribution) program, which provides opioid-related education to healthcare providers and the community, as well as a naloxone distribution program and naloxone training for first responders in six rural Colorado counties.
Date: 07/2017
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic: Balancing Societal and Individual Benefits and Risks of Prescription Opioid Use
Report looks at the current opioid epidemic in the U.S. Explores options for balancing chronic pain management while reducing the occurrence of addiction and misuse. Presents recommendations for treating overdoses and reducing demand for prescription, as well as illicit, opioids.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on Pain Management and Regulatory Strategies to Address Prescription Opioid Abuse
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Barriers Rural Physicians Face Prescribing Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder
Examines the barriers rural physicians who hold Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) waivers to prescribe buprenorphine face. Seeks to explain why some rural physicians who hold a DEA waiver choose not to prescribe buprenorphine or treat a fewer number of patients than their waiver allows. Data was collected through a 2016 survey of all physicians with DEA waivers in rural areas.
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, Cynthia Coulthard, Eric H. Larson
Citation: Annals of Family Medicine, 15(4), 359-362
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
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Final Report: Opioid Use, Misuse, and Overdose in Women
Discusses the need for prevention, treatment and recovery programs for women who have opioid use disorders. Focuses on the increase in opioid use among the female population and ways to help manage and respond to the impact of overuse and overdose. Provides a summary of the September 2016 national meeting focus on opioid use in women. Includes information about how rural location affects use and treatment, particularly lack of access to care and overdose remedies.
Additional links: White Paper, December 2016
Date: 07/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health
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Changes in the Supply of Physicians with a DEA DATA Waiver to Prescribe Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder
Data brief describing changes in access to waivered physicians from 2012 to 2016. Features a county-level map and statistics with breakdowns by urban areas and three levels of rural areas.
Author(s): C. Holly A. Andrilla, Cynthia Coulthard, Eric H. Larson
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
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Heroin, Methamphetamine Use and Prescription Drug Abuse in Kentucky
Results of the 2016 survey from the Kentucky Health Issues Poll concerning the impact of drug abuse on respondents' family and friends. Includes breakdowns by rural, urban, and suburban counties.
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, Interact for Health
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