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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Substance use and misuse

Understanding the Public Health Consequences of Suspending a Rural Syringe Services Program: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of People Who Inject Drugs
Details a study on the public health outcomes associated with discontinuing syringe services programs (SSPs) in rural areas where people who inject drugs (PWIDs) are prevalent. Focuses on the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department in West Virginia.
Author(s): Sean T. Allen, Suzanne M. Grieb, Allison O'Rourke, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 16
Date: 05/2019
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Opioids in Appalachia: The Role of Counties in Reversing a Regional Epidemic
Details the state of the opioid epidemic in Appalachia and presents recommendations to help county leaders respond to the opioid crisis. Features individual county case studies highlighting the challenges and strategies in addressing the opioid crisis.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 05/2019
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Counties
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An Update on the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis: One Year Later
Report details a one year update to the Trump Administration President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. Highlighted the commission's accomplishments and examined its initial objectives. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 05/2019
Sponsoring organization: The White House
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Drug Overdose Deaths Involving Cocaine and Psychostimulants with Abuse Potential — United States, 2003–2017
Reports age-adjusted death rates in 2016 and 2017 for cocaine and psychostimulants, with information by age group, sex, urbanization level, U.S. Census region, and state. Includes data for metropolitan, micropolitan, and non-core counties. Provides national-level trend data for 2003-2017 on deaths related to these substances that also involved opioids and that did not involve opioids.
Author(s): Mbabazi Kariisa, Lawrence Scholl, Nana Wilson, Puja Seth, Brooke Hoots
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 68(17), 388-395
Date: 05/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Pain Management for People with Serious Illness in the Context of the Opioid Use Disorder Epidemic: Proceedings of a Workshop
Reports on a workshop with multiple stakeholders discussing pain management in the context of the opioid misuse epidemic. Reviews the opioid epidemic, how responses to it have affected people with serious illness and pain, the pain management needs of people with substance use disorder, policy responses, and next steps. Includes a few examples from rural areas and addresses some challenges specific to rural.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 05/2019
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Collaborative Models for Medication-Assisted Treatment: Key Elements of Vermont's Hub-and Spoke System
Describes the collaborative effort of three health-related organizations who partnered to develop and implement a medication assisted therapy (MAT) treatment practice using the hub and spoke model. This system was supported through a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Home State Plan amendment for Vermont, a mostly rural state, to modify their current MAT services to increase access to addiction treatment, integrate health and addictions care, improve health outcomes, and promote recovery.
Date: 04/2019
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Program (IAP)
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Rural‐Urban Trends in Opioid Overdose Discharges in Missouri Emergency Departments, 2012‐2016
Study of opioid overdose cases treated by Missouri emergency departments from 2012-2016 that compares rural and urban rates. Analyzes billing data from the state's Patient Abstract System (PAS), including population information and type of opiate involved in the overdose over the data period. Discusses the role of non-heroin opioids in overdose rates and implications of observed trends for emergency departments.
Author(s): Whitney Coffey, Andrew Hunter, Evan Mobley, Alana Vivolo-Kantor
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 36(2), 177-186
Date: 04/2019
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Rural Residence and Poverty Are Independent Risk Factors for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the United States
Uses data from the 2012-2015 National Health Interview Survey to determine whether urban-rural status, poverty, and other individual- or community-level factors are associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prevalence in the United States. Compares COPD predictors among current or past smokers and individuals who have never smoked.
Author(s): Sarath Raju, Corinne A. Keet, Laura M. Paulin, et al.
Citation: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 199(8), 961-969
Date: 04/2019
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Community Pharmacies as Access Points for Addiction Treatment
Investigates the distribution of community pharmacies in rural and urban counties of Wisconsin and the connection it has on county-level opioid-related overdose death rates and the number of treatment facilities.
Author(s): Kevin A. Look, Mercedes Kile, Katie Morgan, Andrew Roberts
Citation: Research in Social & Administrative Pharmacy, 15(4), 404-409
Date: 04/2019
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Buprenorphine Prescribing by Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants and Physicians After CARA 2016
Investigates the differences in buprenorphine prescribing patterns among nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs) and physicians in Medicaid following implementation of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) addressing opioid use disorder (OUD). Retail pharmacy claims from July 2017 to June 2018 were analyzed to identify prescriber type, number of patients, payer type, rural and urban differences, and Medicaid trends for FDA-approved buprenorphine drugs for the treatment of OUD.
Author(s): Rekha Varghese, Karin Johnson, Bo Feng, et al.
Date: 04/2019
Sponsoring organizations: IMPAQ International, LLC, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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