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Rural Health Information Hub

Substance Use and Misuse in Rural Areas – Resources

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

Implementing Community-Level Policies to Prevent Alcohol Misuse
Offers an overview of policies and strategies to prevent and reduce alcohol consumption appropriate for use in local, state, tribal and/or territorial levels. Demonstrates how communities have implemented, enforced, and evaluated these policies.
Date: 2022
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Stigma Experienced by Rural Pregnant Women with Substance Use Disorder: A Scoping Review and Qualitative Synthesis
Explores the stigma experienced by rural pregnant women with substance use disorder (SUD). Bases findings on a literature review of studies from 2000-2022. Breaks down the various ways and areas rural pregnant women with SUD experience stigma, such as within the community and healthcare settings. Discusses the importance of comprehensive care that takes these experiences into consideration.
Author(s): Victoria Bright, Julia Riddle, Jean Kerver
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 15065
Date: 2022
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Family-Focused Interventions to Prevent Substance Use Disorders in Adolescence
Proceedings from a workshop exploring barriers to and opportunities for implementing interventions and highlighting efforts to incorporate interventions into statewide healthcare strategies. Includes sections on interventions in healthcare settings, program implementation, federal agency perspectives, and possible future directions. Mentions initiatives geared toward tribal communities.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
Date: 2022
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Tobacco Where You Live: Native Communities
Report focuses on tobacco use in American tribal communities. Differentiates traditional uses of tobacco from commercial use and highlights strategies for highlighting this difference to reduce rates of commercial tobacco use.
Date: 2022
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Methadone Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Improving Access through Regulatory and Legal Change: Proceedings of a Workshop
Offers proceedings from the March 2022 workshop, Methadone Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Examining Federal Regulations and Laws. Covered topics include personal perspectives on methadone treatment, access and barriers to access for rural and other underserved populations, and federal policies and regulatory flexibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Health Sciences Policy, Board on Health Care Services
Date: 2022
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Challenges of Addressing Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Settings: A State Perspective
Highlights a study on evidence-based approaches to addressing rural opioid/substance use disorder (OUD/SUD) treatment, prevention, and recovery that can be applied at the state level. Presents 5 different considerations for addressing rural OUD/SUD and uses Maine as an example.
Author(s): Lisa M.Letourneau
Citation: Preventive Medicine, 152(2)
Date: 11/2021
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Peer-Based Recovery Support Services Delivered at Recovery Community Organizations
Discusses the efficacy of peer-based recovery support programs in rural communities. Features a study on peer-based recovery support services are used in conjunction with clinical treatment for substance use disorder.
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction
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Improving Methadone Access for Rural Communities in the USA: Lessons Learned from Covid-19 Adaptations and International Models of Care
Explores the effect of changes to methadone treatment protocols for opioid use disorder in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on access to treatment in rural areas. Discusses telehealth, dispensing schedules, and distribution models before and during the pandemic.
Author(s): Jamey J Lister, Holly H Lister
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 21(4)
Date: 11/2021
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Supporting Telehealth and Technology-Assisted Services for People Who Use Drugs: A Resource Guide
Offers policy, training, and planning resources for Substance Use Disorder treatment providers, harm reduction organizations, and others looking to implement telehealth and technology-assisted services to improve the health and wellness of people who use drugs. Discusses participant barriers to accessing technology, including rural-specific challenges, and describes rural initiatives among other case studies.
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Council for Mental Wellbeing
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MACPAC Response to Senate Finance Committee Request for Information on Behavioral Health
Summarizes the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission's (MACPAC) ongoing analysis of behavioral health in Medicaid and CHIP and offers policy recommendations. Discusses the behavioral health workforce; behavioral healthcare service delivery and access; mental health parity; telehealth; and improving access for children and youth. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Date: 11/2021
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Last Updated: 5/6/2025