Substance Use and Misuse in Rural Areas – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Substance Use and Misuse in Rural Areas.
Opioid Use Disorder: Rural Policy Brief
Policy brief focused on preventing rural opioid overdoses and reducing overdose deaths in rural areas. Identifies policy options and strategies including evidence-based prescribing methods, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and overdose reversing medication. Includes three brief case studies.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Policy brief focused on preventing rural opioid overdoses and reducing overdose deaths in rural areas. Identifies policy options and strategies including evidence-based prescribing methods, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and overdose reversing medication. Includes three brief case studies.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Drug Overdose Deaths in Appalachia
Interactive map highlights drug overdose deaths in Appalachia by county. Features demographic information such as race/ethnicity, educational attainment, and disability status, as well as economic factors such as poverty rate, unemployment rate, and accident-prone employment, among others. Choose the Appalachian Overdose Mapping Tool button when prompted to choose a tool.
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Interactive map highlights drug overdose deaths in Appalachia by county. Features demographic information such as race/ethnicity, educational attainment, and disability status, as well as economic factors such as poverty rate, unemployment rate, and accident-prone employment, among others. Choose the Appalachian Overdose Mapping Tool button when prompted to choose a tool.
Sponsoring organizations: Appalachian Regional Commission, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Trends in Opioid-Related Hospitalizations
Presents data on opioid-related hospitalizations for 2009-2014 and 2016. Includes national and state-level data by patient location for metropolitan and rural areas.
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Presents data on opioid-related hospitalizations for 2009-2014 and 2016. Includes national and state-level data by patient location for metropolitan and rural areas.
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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U.S. Opioid Dispensing Rate Maps
A collection of maps showing retail opioid dispensing rates from 2019-2022 at the county and state level.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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A collection of maps showing retail opioid dispensing rates from 2019-2022 at the county and state level.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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HCUP Fast Stats - Opioid-Related Hospital Use
Provides access to data on opioid-related inpatient stays and emergency department (ED) visits over a range of years. Data is available at the national and state level. To access rural data, select the Trend Graph or Trend Table view and select Patient location under Characteristics. Inpatient or ED data can be selected under Hospital Settings.
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Provides access to data on opioid-related inpatient stays and emergency department (ED) visits over a range of years. Data is available at the national and state level. To access rural data, select the Trend Graph or Trend Table view and select Patient location under Characteristics. Inpatient or ED data can be selected under Hospital Settings.
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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County-Level Drug Overdose Mortality in the United States, 2003-2020
Collection of data visualizations showing drug overdose rates at the national, state, and county levels. Includes urban-rural trends by state with data for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas.
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Collection of data visualizations showing drug overdose rates at the national, state, and county levels. Includes urban-rural trends by state with data for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas.
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Medicare Part D Opioid Prescribing Mapping Tool
Interactive mapping tool identifies opioid prescription rates at the state, county, and zip code level for de-identified Medicare Part D claims in 2022. Also offers rural/urban opioid prescribing data, changes in prescribing rates in 1 year and 5 year increments, and hot spots and outliers in long-acting opioid prescribing.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Interactive mapping tool identifies opioid prescription rates at the state, county, and zip code level for de-identified Medicare Part D claims in 2022. Also offers rural/urban opioid prescribing data, changes in prescribing rates in 1 year and 5 year increments, and hot spots and outliers in long-acting opioid prescribing.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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SAMHSA's Tribal Training and Technical Assistance Center
Provides culturally relevant and evidence-based training and technical assistance on mental health and substance use disorders, and suicide prevention to federally recognized tribes, other American Indian/Alaska Native communities, SAMHSA tribal grantees and other organizations that serve Indian Country.
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Provides culturally relevant and evidence-based training and technical assistance on mental health and substance use disorders, and suicide prevention to federally recognized tribes, other American Indian/Alaska Native communities, SAMHSA tribal grantees and other organizations that serve Indian Country.
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
Provides access to results for this annual survey focused on substance abuse and mental health issues. Includes information on prevalence and services. Rural-specific data is available in detailed tables that list "geographic characteristics." Data is also made available by state and for regions within states.
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Provides access to results for this annual survey focused on substance abuse and mental health issues. Includes information on prevalence and services. Rural-specific data is available in detailed tables that list "geographic characteristics." Data is also made available by state and for regions within states.
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Mental Health First Aid
Details a public education program to assist the public in identifying, understanding, and responding to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Provides a "Find a Course" link to access mental health first aid instructors who will train residents in rural areas.
Sponsoring organization: National Council for Mental Wellbeing
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Details a public education program to assist the public in identifying, understanding, and responding to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Provides a "Find a Course" link to access mental health first aid instructors who will train residents in rural areas.
Sponsoring organization: National Council for Mental Wellbeing
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:
- Alcohol use
- Behavioral health
- Behavioral health workforce
- Illicit drug use
- Prescription drug misuse
- Substance use and misuse
- Tobacco use
Last Updated: 4/24/2025