This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Substance use and misuse

Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration in Rural Health Facilities: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary
Provides an overview of the prevalence of mental illness and substance use disorders in rural areas. Discusses the role of rural primary care providers in treating these conditions. Outlines federal programs and resources to support behavioral health and primary care integration. Offers policy recommendations related to access to care; workforce recruitment and retention; telehealth, technology, and broadband; and reimbursement and sustainable revenue.
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
Behavioral Healthcare Organizations' Experiences Related to Use of Telehealth as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study
Study examining the experiences of substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health treatment service providers with telehealth based on surveys of 391 individuals on behalf of their organizations. Describes COVID-related experiences with telehealth, general telehealth experiences, and recommendations for continued telehealth delivery, including rural-specific insights and concerns.
Author(s): Abby Kisicki, Sara Becker, Michael Chaple, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 22, 775
Date: 06/2022
view details
Contraception and Healthcare Utilization by Reproductive-Age Women Who Use Drugs in Rural Communities: a Cross-Sectional Survey
Study examining contraceptive use by women aged 18-49 in rural areas, comparing overall rates of contraceptive use to those of women who use opioid and/or non-opioid injection drugs. Analyzes data from the Rural Opioids Initiative (ROI) and the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). Discusses the study's implications for access to services, targeted interventions, and testing for infectious diseases.
Author(s): Ximena A. Levander, Canyon A. Foot, Sara L. Magnusson, et al.
Citation: Journal of General Internal Medicine
Date: 06/2022
view details
Medicaid & State Telehealth Policy – Medicaid Telehealth Policy & Substance Use Disorder
Webinar covering state and federal Medicaid telehealth policy for the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD). Offers an overview of telehealth, its expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its application in SUD treatment with examples from Arkansas and Philadelphia. Also covers research on disparities in drug-related mortality and access to treatment during the pandemic. Captions are available by clicking "CC" at the bottom of the video pane.
Additional links: Presentation Slides
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for Connected Health Policy: The National Telehealth Policy Resource Center
view details
Introduction to Improving Telehealth and Virtual Care for Pain Management and Opioid/Substance Use Disorder
Summarizes a meeting of the Pain Management Guidelines and Evidence Standards (PM) and Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services (PTR) Working Groups of the National Academy of Medicine's Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic. Discusses telehealth flexibilities during the COVID-19 public health emergency, telehealth use for pain management, and telehealth-based treatment of opioid and substance use disorders.
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Academy of Medicine
view details
State of the State: An Update on Illinois' Opioid Statistics
Presents Illinois opioid statistics as well as national statistics. Includes 2019-2021 Illinois opioid fatality rate by rural, small urban, suburban, and urban county. Presents statewide overdose data by substance type as well as specifically opioid overdose data by user age and user race/ethnicity.
Author(s): Jennifer Epstein
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Department of Public Health
view details
On the Farm
Documentary miniseries explores mental health and substance misuse on the American farm. Discusses the factors that contribute to psychological stress and substance use in farm families. Features interviews with experts as well as farmers and their families.
Additional links: Film Website
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Mississippi State University
view details
Characteristics of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Evaluated for Substance Use and Treatment Planning — United States, 2019
Examines past 30-day substance use patterns for alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, illicit stimulants, heroin, illicit fentanyl, prescription opioid misuse, prescription stimulant misuse, and prescription sedative, tranquilizer, and sleeping pill use. Also looks at the severity of problems experienced in these areas: alcohol, drug, employment, family, legal, medical, and psychiatric issues. Includes data for metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural areas.
Author(s): Akadia Kacha-Ochana, Christopher M. Jones, Jody L. Green, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 71(23), 749-756
Date: 06/2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
A Rural Community's Perspective on the Causes of and Solutions to the Opioid Crisis in Southern Virginia: A Qualitative Study
Results of a study to gain insight into the perceptions, knowledge, and experiences of members of a southern Virginia rural community affected by the opioid crisis, to inform the development of local strategies to address the problem. Examines barriers and facilitators to treatment programs and offers recommendations for targeting populations at risk.
Author(s): Angelina J. Hargrove, Carlin Rafie, Emily Zimmerman, Dawn E. Moser
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 22(2), 7152
Date: 06/2022
view details
Pain in the Nation: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths - Special Feature: Two Decades of the Drug Overdose Crisis
Highlights the rates of drug, alcohol, and suicide deaths in the U.S. in 2020 and from 1999 to 2020. Explores the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on deaths of despair and the state of the ongoing opioid crisis. Breaks down data by age, region, and rurality, among other measures.
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
view details