Rural Response to the Opioid Crisis – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Response to the Opioid Crisis.
The Ecology of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Summarizes results from an 8-state study of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a drug withdrawal condition that may occur in newborns exposed to opioids during pregnancy. Discusses correlations to rurality, unemployment rates, poverty, and the supply of healthcare providers, and identifies potential policy interventions that could help. For interactive, county-level data, see the Simulation of County Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Rates Tool based on study findings.
Additional links: Simulation of County Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Rates Tool
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Summarizes results from an 8-state study of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a drug withdrawal condition that may occur in newborns exposed to opioids during pregnancy. Discusses correlations to rurality, unemployment rates, poverty, and the supply of healthcare providers, and identifies potential policy interventions that could help. For interactive, county-level data, see the Simulation of County Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Rates Tool based on study findings.
Additional links: Simulation of County Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Rates Tool
Date: 2019
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Patterns of Buprenorphine Use and Risk for Re-Arrest among Highly Vulnerable Opioid-Involved Women Released from Jails in Rural Appalachia
Study examining licit and illicit use of buprenorphine by women in the Appalachia region of Kentucky with moderate to severe opioid involvement who had recently been released from jail. Discusses the role of consistent healthcare services in relation to risk for re-arrest, presenting data on demographics, opioid use, and healthcare access over a 3-month tracking period.
Author(s): Hilary L. Surratt, Michele Staton, Carl G. Leukefeld, Carrie B. Oser, J. Matthew Webster
Citation: Journal of Addictive Diseases, 37(1-2), 1-4
Date: 12/2018
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Study examining licit and illicit use of buprenorphine by women in the Appalachia region of Kentucky with moderate to severe opioid involvement who had recently been released from jail. Discusses the role of consistent healthcare services in relation to risk for re-arrest, presenting data on demographics, opioid use, and healthcare access over a 3-month tracking period.
Author(s): Hilary L. Surratt, Michele Staton, Carl G. Leukefeld, Carrie B. Oser, J. Matthew Webster
Citation: Journal of Addictive Diseases, 37(1-2), 1-4
Date: 12/2018
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Mandatory Reporting of Fatal and Nonfatal Opioid Overdoses in a Rural Public Health Department
Describes a mandatory reporting initiative in rural Clallam County, Washington of fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses. Offers data on reported cases from 2016-2017 including age, sex, participation in syringe exchanges, overdose characteristics, and public health services provided per case.
Author(s): Christopher J. Frank, Siri E. Kushner, David A. Doran, Jeanette Stehr-Green
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 108(12), 1646-1648
Date: 12/2018
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Describes a mandatory reporting initiative in rural Clallam County, Washington of fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses. Offers data on reported cases from 2016-2017 including age, sex, participation in syringe exchanges, overdose characteristics, and public health services provided per case.
Author(s): Christopher J. Frank, Siri E. Kushner, David A. Doran, Jeanette Stehr-Green
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 108(12), 1646-1648
Date: 12/2018
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Pandora's Pill Bottle - 1: Opioids in Rural America
Presents a series of articles on the effect the opioid crisis has had on rural agricultural areas. Details the stories of rural people whose lives have been affected by opioids.
Additional links: Pandora's Pill Bottle - 2: How Opioids Become a Problem, Pandora's Pill Bottle - 3: Impact of Opioids, Pandora's Pill Bottle - 4: Battling Opioids at Ground Level, Pandora's Pill Bottle - 5: A Life of Hope Lost to Opioid Addiction, Pandora's Pill Bottle - 6: What Needs to be Done About Opioids?, Pandora's Pill Bottle - 7: Actionable Insights for Local Communities Against Opioid Abuse
Author(s): Todd Neeley
Date: 12/2018
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Presents a series of articles on the effect the opioid crisis has had on rural agricultural areas. Details the stories of rural people whose lives have been affected by opioids.
Additional links: Pandora's Pill Bottle - 2: How Opioids Become a Problem, Pandora's Pill Bottle - 3: Impact of Opioids, Pandora's Pill Bottle - 4: Battling Opioids at Ground Level, Pandora's Pill Bottle - 5: A Life of Hope Lost to Opioid Addiction, Pandora's Pill Bottle - 6: What Needs to be Done About Opioids?, Pandora's Pill Bottle - 7: Actionable Insights for Local Communities Against Opioid Abuse
Author(s): Todd Neeley
Date: 12/2018
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Red Flags and Warning Signs Ignored: Opioid Distribution and Enforcement Concerns in West Virginia
Report highlights a U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce investigation into the opioid crisis in West Virginia. Examines the policies of the various drug distribution companies who shipped opioids into the state, as well as the effectiveness of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) oversight.
Date: 12/2018
Sponsoring organization: House Committee on Energy and Commerce
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Report highlights a U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce investigation into the opioid crisis in West Virginia. Examines the policies of the various drug distribution companies who shipped opioids into the state, as well as the effectiveness of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) oversight.
Date: 12/2018
Sponsoring organization: House Committee on Energy and Commerce
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Public Health and Other Related Provisions in P.L 115-271, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act
Summarizes Title VII and VIII provisions in the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act). Addresses provisions affecting access to opioid abuse treatment and providers, data collection, child welfare, the Department of Justice, substance abuse prevention, and more. Sections highlighting rural authorize grants for first responder training, data collection on adverse childhood experiences, recovery support services, and reauthorization of the State and Tribal Response to the Opioid Abuse Crisis grant program with technical assistance for rural and underserved communities.
Date: 12/2018
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Summarizes Title VII and VIII provisions in the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act). Addresses provisions affecting access to opioid abuse treatment and providers, data collection, child welfare, the Department of Justice, substance abuse prevention, and more. Sections highlighting rural authorize grants for first responder training, data collection on adverse childhood experiences, recovery support services, and reauthorization of the State and Tribal Response to the Opioid Abuse Crisis grant program with technical assistance for rural and underserved communities.
Date: 12/2018
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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A Large HCV Transmission Network Enabled a Fast-growing HIV Outbreak in Rural Indiana, 2015
Highlights a study of the co-infection of hepatitis C among HIV patients who inject opioids in rural Indiana. Details the age, race, and county of residence, as well as several risk factors of the patients.
Author(s): Sumathi Ramachandran, Hong Thai, Joseph C. Forbi, et al.
Citation: EBioMedicine, 37, 374-381
Date: 11/2018
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Highlights a study of the co-infection of hepatitis C among HIV patients who inject opioids in rural Indiana. Details the age, race, and county of residence, as well as several risk factors of the patients.
Author(s): Sumathi Ramachandran, Hong Thai, Joseph C. Forbi, et al.
Citation: EBioMedicine, 37, 374-381
Date: 11/2018
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Using Telehealth to Support Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
Provides an issue brief on how telehealth can increase access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD). Addresses how telehealth is used, implemented, and reimbursed, highlighting the implications for MAT.
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Provides an issue brief on how telehealth can increase access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD). Addresses how telehealth is used, implemented, and reimbursed, highlighting the implications for MAT.
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in the Child Welfare Context: Challenges and Opportunities
Discusses challenges and opportunities related to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for parents with opioid use disorder, focusing on child welfare. Highlights the importance of counseling to address mental health and parenting issues as part of the treatment. Covers difficulties faced with accessing counseling services, particularly in rural areas. Based on a qualitative mixed methods study that included rural and urban counties experiencing a high level of drug overdoses and emergency room visits.
Author(s): Laura Radel, Melinda Baldwin, Gilbert Crouse, Robin Ghertner, Annette Waters
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Discusses challenges and opportunities related to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for parents with opioid use disorder, focusing on child welfare. Highlights the importance of counseling to address mental health and parenting issues as part of the treatment. Covers difficulties faced with accessing counseling services, particularly in rural areas. Based on a qualitative mixed methods study that included rural and urban counties experiencing a high level of drug overdoses and emergency room visits.
Author(s): Laura Radel, Melinda Baldwin, Gilbert Crouse, Robin Ghertner, Annette Waters
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Responding to the HIV Crisis in Scott County, Indiana: Q&A with Dr. William Cooke
An interview with Dr. William Cooke, the only physician in Austin, Indiana at the time of the country's largest rural HIV outbreak. Highlights the work of Dr. Cooke and his staff to help address HIV, hepatitis C, and opioid/substance use disorder in the community.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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An interview with Dr. William Cooke, the only physician in Austin, Indiana at the time of the country's largest rural HIV outbreak. Highlights the work of Dr. Cooke and his staff to help address HIV, hepatitis C, and opioid/substance use disorder in the community.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Last Updated: 4/9/2025