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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Prescription drug misuse

Stakeholder Perspectives on a Telemedicine Referral and Coordination Model To Expand Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Primary Care Clinics
Examines acceptability of utilizing an external telemedicine (TM) vendor to improve access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in rural areas. Analyzes interview data from 7 rural primary care clinics and a TM-MOUD vendor to explore themes such as logistical barriers, stigma, privacy, and access. Includes demographic data on survey respondents as well as acceptability ratings.
Author(s): Allison J. Ober, Alex R. Dopp, Sarah E. Clingan, et al.
Citation: Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, 156, 209194
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
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Medicaid Coverage of Medications to Reverse Opioid Overdose and Treat Alcohol and Opioid Use Disorders
Report discusses access to medications for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) via Medicaid. Highlights policies and regulations that effect access and details Medicaid coverage in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Features a discussion about rural access.
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Assessment of Substance Use Disorder Stigma and Strategies for Addressing Stigma in Rural Areas
January 31, 2024 webinar recording sharing results from the National Report on Rural Substance Use Disorder Stigma and Treatment Needs and discussing strategies for addressing stigma in rural areas. Includes transcript.
Additional links: Slide Presentation
Date: 01/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction
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A Federally Qualified Health Center and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Partnership in Rural Missouri
Case study describing a medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) program partnership between a Federally Qualified Health Center and a certified community behavioral health clinic in rural southwest Missouri. Covers the infrastructure of the MOUD program, staffing and services, financing, and more. Highlights challenges and successes, as well as recommendations for other health centers interested in a similar partnership.
Author(s): Ashley Jasko, Meryl Schulman
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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El Dorado Community Health Centers: Addressing the Opioid Epidemic in Rural California through Community Partnerships
Case study describing how El Dorado Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in California, works with a community coalition to address the opioid epidemic and implement a medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) program. Covers the infrastructure of the MOUD program, staffing and services, financing, and more. Highlights challenges and successes, as well as recommendations for other health centers.
Author(s): Ashley Jasko, Meryl Schulman
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Opioid Overdose Surveillance Preliminary District Report: Georgia, 2022
Describes district-level fatal and nonfatal opioid-involved overdoses that occurred in Georgia 2020-2022. Covers prescription opioids and illicit opioids, including heroin, fentanyl, and fentanyl analogs. Features statistics on demographics, overdose deaths, and emergency department visits, with breakdowns by district, drug type, and year. The Preliminary County Report contains county-by-county data.
Additional links: County Report
Date: 01/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Department of Public Health
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Primary Care Professionals' Perspectives on Tailoring Buprenorphine Training for Rural Practice
Interviewed 23 rural Ohio primary care professionals to identify barriers to prescribing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder treatment. Discusses the need for training addressing rural-specific barriers, limited patient access to required social supports, workforce, and stigma. Offers recommendations based on findings.
Author(s): Cheyenne Fenstemaker, Elizabeth A. Abrams, Benjamin Obringer, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 2024
Date: 2024
Type: Document
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Defining and Evaluating In-Home Drug Disposal Systems for Opioid Analgesics: Proceedings of a Workshop
Offers summary of a June 2023 workshop to analyze in-home drug disposal systems with focus on unused opioid analgesics. Discusses the life cycle of prescribed opioids, characteristics of in-home disposal systems, implementation and equity concerns, legal concerns, environmental impacts, and real-world settings. Includes discussions of tribal and rural-specific challenges and benefits.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Health Sciences Policy
Date: 2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Effectiveness of Syringe Services Programs
Presents a literature review of the studies evaluating SSP interventions across the country. Report aims to evaluate the overall efficacy of SSPs at reducing the transmission of HIV/HCV. Four of the 100 studies were conducted in completely rural settings, and 5 were conducted in both rural and urban settings. Makes recommendations for VA policy makers.
Additional links: Appendices, Executive Summary
Author(s): Katherine M. Mackey, Erin H. Beech, Beth E. Williams, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development Service
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Changes in Perceptions of First Responders after Witnessing a Drug Overdose: Individual and Contextual Variations among People Who Use Opioids in West Virginia
Evaluates changes in attitude toward first responders among people who witnessed an overdose and stayed until first responders arrived. Utilizes interview data from 50 nonmedical users of prescription opioids from 3 rural Appalachian West Virginia counties. Identifies personal and contextual factors associated with changed perceptions of first responders.
Author(s): Kathleen L. Egan, Kelly Gurka, Alexandria Macmadu, Herb Linn
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 5(3), 22-37
Date: 12/2023
Type: Document
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