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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Substance use and misuse

Availability of Behavioral Health Providers and Services in Rural Areas, with Holly Andrilla
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Holly Andrilla, Deputy Director of the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center. Focuses on rural availability of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, social workers, and counselors, as well as recent developments in access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD).
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Emergency Department Visits Related to Mental Health Disorders Among Adults, by Race and Hispanic Ethnicity: United States, 2018–2020
Report explores the rates of mental health-related visits to emergency departments (EDs) by race and Hispanic ethnicity. Breaks down data by race, mental health disorder, and urbanization level, among other measures.
Author(s): Zachary J. Peters, Loredana Santo, Danielle Davis, Carol J. DeFrances
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Urban–Rural Disparities in Deaths of Despair: A County-Level Analysis 2004–2016 in the U.S.
Presents a study exploring the rural-urban differences in drug, alcohol, and suicide mortality rates across the country from 2004 to 2016. Breaks down data by demographic factors, such as sex, employment, and health insurance, among other measures.
Author(s): Jong Hyung Lee, David C. Wheeler, Emily B. Zimmerman, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 64(2), 149-156
Date: 02/2023
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The Association between Grandparents as Caregivers and Overdose Mortality in Appalachia and Non-Appalachia Counties
Evaluates associations between drug overdose mortality and grandparents as primary caregivers of children in Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties using national datasets from the period 2015-2019. Covers factors associated with grandparents as primary caregivers, rurality and other demographics. Discusses the impact of high rates of kinship care and opioid use disorder in rural and Appalachian areas.
Author(s): Kate E. Beatty, Stephanie M. Mathis, Abby R. McCurry, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1035564
Date: 02/2023
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Indigenous Evaluation Toolkit: An Actionable Guide for Organizations Serving American Indian/Alaska Native Communities through Opioid Prevention Programming
Toolkit presents guidance for American Indian and Alaska Native communities and organizations for providing opioid prevention services. Provides a four-phase plan for program design and details holistic and culturally competent approaches to opioid prevention.
Author(s): Danielle Eakins, Angela Gaffney, Caelin Marum, et al.
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: Seven Directions - A Center for Indigenous Public Health
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How One New Mexico County is Taking a Community-Wide Approach to Treating Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders
Features a McKinley County, New Mexico community consortium that takes a holistic approach to recovery. Describes the growth of the collaboration over time and the range of local organizations involved.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Evaluation of Post-Discharge Engagement for Emergency Department Patients with Opioid Use History Who Received Telehealth Recovery Coaching Services
Examines successful interventions for patients in emergency departments (EDs) who receive peer recovery coach (PRC) services via telehealth that support patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). Analyzes 13 EDs in Indiana who implemented telehealth PRC services starting in 2018, including 7 rural Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Includes rate of successful follow-ups proceeding PRC services broken down by patient age, sex, race, drug use method, referral types, and metro, small, or rural living location.
Author(s): Dennis P. Watson, Peter Phalen, Spencer Medcalf, Sarah Messmer, Alan McGuire
Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention,18(9)
Date: 02/2023
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Geography, Rurality, and Community Distress: Deaths Due to Suicide, Alcohol-Use, and Drug-Use among Colorado Veterans
Explores the connection between distressed communities and mortality disparities in the Colorado veteran population. Utilizes 2009-2020 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) to examine suicide, alcohol, and drug related mortalities, with demographic data broken down by sex, age, marital status, distressed community index (DCI), and frontier, rural, or urban location. Includes county-level maps showing DCI and rurality.
Author(s): Talia L. Spark, Colleen E. Reid, Rachel Sayko Adams, et al.
Citation: Injury Epidemiology, 10, 8
Date: 02/2023
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Filling Behavioral Health Gaps in Rural Communities: A Unique Partnership in Washington State
Discusses a collaboration between a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) in Washington and state hospitals to accept patient transfers by utilizing swing beds to care for patients with complex behavioral health and social needs, such as substance use disorder, mental health, homelessness, and more. Includes data on swing bed admissions and information on incorporating behavioral health services into primary care.
Author(s): Sarah Klein, Martha Hostetter
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: The Commonwealth Fund
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The Doorway at Cheshire Medical Center Leads to Healing
Profiles the Doorway at Cheshire Medical Center, a program at Cheshire Medical Center, a rural hospital in Keene, New Hampshire. Describes how the Doorway uses evidence-based assessment tools to refer clients to the appropriate services in the community and serves as a connection point between multiple substance use disorder (SUD) services.
Date: 02/2023
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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