Rural Response to the Opioid Crisis – News
News stories from the past 60 days.
May 16, 2023 - Describes the differing opinions about how opioid settlement money should be used in rural Greene County in northeastern Tennessee. Some feel the money should be used directly for mental health and addiction treatment, while others say the county has for years funded programs to help people harmed by addiction, and settlement money can legitimately be used to pay down debt incurred partly due to those programs.
Source: KFF Health News
May 10, 2023 - A naloxone vending machine will be placed at a rural health center in Vermont, giving access to the medication for free, 24 hours a day. The community worked to find a machine after a local resident died from an opioid overdose. For the third year in a row, Vermont set a record for opioid overdose deaths in 2022.
Source: VTDigger
May 2, 2023 - Examines lack of access to recovery services in rural Minnesota, noting that withdrawal services are particularly difficult to find. Withdrawal and detox services are a first step for many seeking addiction recovery services and lack of access can be a barrier to progressing in recovery. Highlights the services that are available at different stages of the recovery process.
Source: The Globe
Apr 5, 2023 - The Food and Drug Administration recently made it easier for people to obtain Narcan, a powerful overdose-reversing medicine. This medication previously required a prescription, but soon will be sold over the counter. Highlights efforts of harm reduction programs in rural New York State.
Source: PBS News Hour
Last Updated: 5/16/2023