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Rural Response to the Opioid Crisis – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Response to the Opioid Crisis.

Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Versus Urban Veterans Health Administration Facilities
Explores rural veterans' access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) via the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system. Highlights VHA efforts to expand access to MOUD within VHA facilities and aims to identify access levels for rural veterans via the VA's Community Care program. Breaks down data by type of MOUD and by rural or urban location.
Author(s): Jessica J. Wyse, Sarah Shull, Stephan Lindner, et al.
Citation: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 38(8), 1871-1876
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
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TIP 64: Incorporating Peer Support Into Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services
Details guidelines for implementing peer support services (PSS) into programs for substance use treatment and recovery. Discusses the role of peer support workers in the recovery process in SUD treatment centers, recovery centers and residencies, and hospitals, among others. Breaks down the guidelines for PSS, such as professional supervision and peer worker training and certification. Includes a section on delivering peer support in rural areas on page 45 and other rural mentions throughout.
Date: 06/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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The Impacts of Opioid Addiction on the Rural Workforce
A recorded webinar that examines how the rural workforce has been impacted by opioid addiction. Discusses issues of healthcare access, poverty, mental health, and farmworker health, along with data on workforce impacts. Includes resources to support opioid recovery and examples of recovery efforts in specific regions, such as Appalachia.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Presentation, Transcript
Author(s): Kellie Kubena, Carol Wetuski, Lauren Wood, et al.
Date: 06/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, First Tennessee Development District, Office of Workforce Investment (OWI), U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Pain in the Nation: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths - Special Feature: Youth Mental Health and Well-Being
Presents the rates of drug, alcohol, and suicide deaths in the U.S. in 2021 and from 1999 to 2021. Discusses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on deaths of despair and the state of the ongoing opioid crisis. Includes a special feature focusing on youth mental health and well being. Highlights data on rural and urban communities.
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Trust for America's Health
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An Exploratory Study of a Hands-on Naloxone Training for Rural Clinicians and Staff
Presents a study on the efficacy of a hands-on naloxone training for rural healthcare providers as a means of reducing opioid overdose fatalities in rural areas. Discusses the fentanyl-driven surge in opioid overdose deaths and describes the 1-hour training session, which involved a lecture and hands-on training with naloxone.
Author(s): Shameka L. Cody, Cheryl B. Hines, Christina J. Glenn, et al.
Citation: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 55(3), 599-604
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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Medication for Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy — Maternal and Infant Network to Understand Outcomes Associated with Use of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy (MAT-LINK), 2014–2021
Describes a surveillance network of seven clinical sites focused on the use of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) during pregnancy. Initial report is limited to selected demographic characteristics of pregnant persons overall and by MOUD treatment status, including data for urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Kathryn Miele, Shin Y. Kim, Rachelle Jones, et al.
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 72(3), 1-14
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Evaluation of the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model Second Annual Report (Implementation Year 1)
Provides an overview of the Maternal Opioid Misuse Model, which provides evidence-based integrated care and care coordination for pregnant and postpartum Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder (OUD). Describes activities MOM Model awardees undertook during the MOM Model's first implementation year, July 1, 2021–June 30, 2022. Discusses barriers pregnant and postpartum people with OUD face in accessing high-quality, continuous care, specifically in rural areas.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Insight Policy Research
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Biopsychosocial Contexts of Timely and Adequate Prenatal Care Utilization among Women with Criminal Legal Involvement and Opioid Use Disorder
Examines utilization patterns of rural pregnant women with criminal legal involvement and opioid use disorder (CL-OUD) and adequate prenatal care utilization (APNCU). Analyzes medical records from 317 women with CL-OUD between 2015 and 2022 according to several social, health, and demographic factors, including rural versus non-rural prenatal location.
Author(s): Milan F. Satcher, Martha L. Bruce, Daisy J. Goodman, Sarah E. Lord
Citation: BMC Public Health, 23, 729
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
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Harm Reduction and Recovery Services Support (HRRSS) to Mitigate the Opioid Overdose Epidemic in a Rural Community
Examines factors impacting harm reduction and recovery services related to opioid use in a rural South Carolina county. Discusses feedback from 338 community respondents regarding issues such as syringe services programs, safe consumption sites, placement of naloxone in public places, and more, with data reported as a harm reduction and recovery support score (HRRSS) connected to various demographic variables and personal beliefs.
Author(s): Moonseong Heo, Taylor Beachler, Laksika B. Sivaraj, et al.
Citation: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 18, 23
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
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Descriptive Study: The Novel "Full Spectrum People-With-Opioid-Use-Disorder Care Model"
Examines the implementation of a comprehensive care delivery model that provides access to harm reduction services for people with opioid use disorder (PWOUD). Analyzes 565 encounters with people utilizing medical and/or behavioral healthcare services in a rural New Mexico county. Provides demographic breakdown of encounters and data on the counties with highest overdose rates, along with discussion on how to provide harm reduction services to hard-to-reach populations.
Author(s): Richard Gadomski, Snehal Bhatt, Jessica Gross, et al.
Citation: Harm Reduction Journal, 20, 47
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
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Last Updated: 4/24/2024