Substance Use and Misuse in Rural Areas – Resources

Expanding Behavioral Health Care Workforce Participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace Plans
Report highlights barriers to obtaining behavioral health treatment on Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace plans. Discusses barriers specific to rural and tribal communities. Details behavioral workforce needs and makes policy recommendations.
Additional links: Full Report
Author(s): Board on Health Care Services
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Retention in Telehealth Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder among Rural Populations: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Highlights a study on the efficacy of telehealth-based treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) for rural populations. Draws patient data from 2020-2022 across 14 states and breaks down data by patient characteristics, such as insurance status, education, and rurality, among other measures. Explores retention in care and adherence over a 6-month treatment period.
Author(s): Marlene C. Lira, Cynthia Jimes, M. Justin Coffey
Citation: Telemedicine and e-Health, 29(12), 1890-1896
Date: 12/2023
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RCORP: Helping Meet Rural Needs
Video series featuring the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), a multi-year initiative that funds a range of grant programs to help rural communities treat and prevent opioid use disorder. RCORP grantees share how they have used this funding to address the needs of their communities.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Filling the Gaps: Program Builds Referral and Recovery Services in Western Massachusetts
Features a rural Massachusetts coalition's work to address substance misuse and build sustainable recovery services, with support from the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP). Discusses youth outreach and engagement, stigma reduction activities, facilitating access to services, and more.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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National Rural Health Day and a Behavioral Health Community Star, with Tammy Norville and Jason Lillich
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Tammy Norville, National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) CEO, and Jason Lillich, Executive Director of Three Rivers Mental Health and Chemical Dependency Center, a 2023 National Rural Health Day Community Star. Focuses on the origins of National Rural Health Day and the ongoing importance of behavioral health and substance use services for rural communities.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Implementation of Substance Use Screening in Rural Federally-Qualified Health Center Clinics Identified High Rates of Unhealthy Alcohol and Cannabis Use among Adult Primary Care Patients
Examines the feasibility of integrating electronic health record (EHR) tools into the screening of primary care patients for substance use. Discusses the process of screening 3,749 patients at 3 rural Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) via EHR-integrated methods and the potential impacts of this screening method on reducing rural primary care provider burden.
Author(s): Jennifer McNeely, Bethany McLeman, Trip Gardner, et al.
Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 18, 56
Date: 09/2023
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Rural Recovery Housing, with Ernie Fletcher and Erica Walker
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Governor Ernie Fletcher, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of the Fletcher Group, and Erica Walker, Outreach and Engagement Specialist for the Fletcher Group. Focuses on recovery housing in rural communities and the different levels of support it can provide to help people healing from substance use disorders.
Date: 09/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Empowering Native Families: A Youth Cannabis Prevention Toolkit for Native American Parents
Report provides guidance for American Indian and Alaska Native communities on cannabis use among children and teens. Discusses the prevalence of cannabis use by native youth and highlights strategies for addressing it. Provides links to additional resources.
Date: 08/2023
Sponsoring organization: Mountain Plains Prevention Technology Transfer Center Network
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Recovery in Rural America: Housing Helps Address the Substance Use Disorder Crisis
Describes the intersection of housing issues and substance use disorder (SUD) and discusses potential collaborations, innovations, and solutions. Includes examples of how rural communities across the U.S. have strategized to solve problems associated with housing and SUD.
Date: 08/2023
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
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The Frontier of Harm Reduction: Expanding Services for Rural People Who Use Drugs
Describes how harm reduction approaches help reduce health risks related to substance use and explains how these approaches are being adapted in rural areas. Highlights innovative harm reduction strategies being used in rural communities in Alaska, Wisconsin, and South Dakota.
Author(s): Brendan Stermer
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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