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Substance Use and Misuse in Rural Areas – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Substance Use and Misuse in Rural Areas.

Life-Saving Naloxone from Pharmacies
Describes the role naloxone plays in reversing the effects of an opioid overdose. Discusses the need for greater access to naloxone, particularly in rural areas, and highlights trends in opioid and naloxone prescribing. Includes links to related CDC resources.
Date: 08/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Guidance to States and School Systems on Addressing Mental Health and Substance Use Issues in Schools
Report provides guidance to school systems and state governments about mental health and substance use in schools. Highlights examples of methods to identify and address mental health issues and substance use in schools. Discusses state-level Medicaid funding for behavioral health.
Author(s): Elinore McCance-Katz, Calder Lynch
Date: 07/2019
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Tailoring Crisis Response and Pre-arrest Diversion Models for Rural Communities
Outlines a guide for rural communities to develop crisis response and pre-arrest diversion programs for people with mental health or substance use disorders. Discusses the use of technology to connect law enforcement with behavioral health programs, as well as building off of current programs to address the specific needs of the community.
Date: 06/2019
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Save Lives
Reports on the findings from an expert committee regarding the evidence behind using medications to treat opioid use disorder, as well as issues with accessing medication-based treatment. Chapter 3 includes a section focusing on rural populations and chapter 5 addresses rural/urban differences in the number of healthcare providers waivered to prescribe buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid-use disorder.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Committee on Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
Date: 03/2019
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Peer Support Specialists Care for and Connect Rural Behavioral Health Clients
Discusses peer support specialists, trained laypeople in recovery with a mental health condition or substance use disorder, and describes the roles they play as mentors and coordinators for clients with similar behavioral health issues. Features peer support specialist programs in rural Arizona, Michigan, and North Dakota.
Author(s): Allee Mead
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 02/2019
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (P.L.115-271): Medicare Provisions
Provides a section-by-section description of Medicare provisions in the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act). Addresses rural in two sections: Section 6083 seeks to expand access to addiction treatment in Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics by paying for training costs to obtain a DATA waiver to furnish OUD treatment; Section 6042 authorizes a demonstration project testing expanded access to MAT drugs through teams with a primary care provider.
Date: 01/2019
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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SAMHSA Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit
Provides strategies for healthcare providers, communities, and local governments to help prevent opioid-related overdoses and deaths. Includes facts for community members, essential steps for first responders, information for prescribers, safety advice for patients and family members, and resources for overdose survivors and their families.
Date: 06/2018
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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What's MAT Got to Do with It? Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural America
Provides an overview of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), an evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder, with information on the science behind the disorder and how three MAT medications work. Highlights rural health organizations providing MAT treatment.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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The Opioid Crisis: The Role of Technology and Data in Preventing and Treating Addiction
Highlights the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) hearing on the use of data and technology interventions in combating the opioid epidemic. Features testimony from representatives of Express Scripts, the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws, the Santa Clara University Public Health Program, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Date: 02/2018
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Portraying a More Complete Picture of Illicit Drug Use Epidemiology and Policy for Rural America: A Competing Viewpoint to the CDC's MMWR Report
Commentary on the CDC MMWR report, Illicit Drug Use, Illicit Drug Use Disorders, and Drug Overdose Deaths in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas — United States. Discusses a range of factors that may impact our understanding of nonmetropolitan drug use and identifies additional studies that have been undertaken related to nonmetro drug use. Also discusses potential differences in effective ways to address drug use in nonmetro compared to metro areas.
Author(s): Tyrone F. Borders
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(1), 3-5
Date: 2018
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