This is an academic paper that shows that the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated the opioid crisis in San Francisco. Emergency departments saw approximately 2.5 patients per day with opioid overdose compared with 1.4 patients per day prior to this period, and 8, there were 1.47 deaths per day due to overdose compared with 0.95 deaths per day prior to this period
Harm Reduction Resources
- COVID / Coronavirus related
- Community Coalitions
- Community Health Officials
- First Responders
- Harm Reduction Specialists
- Policymakers
This is report recognizing that community pharmacists are uniquely poised to engage in efforts to reduce opioid misuse and opioid related overdose. It provides guidance to pharmacist on screening for potential opioid misuse, dispensing medications for opioid use disorder, and providing access to naloxone.
- Cautious Opioid Prescribing
- Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
- Overdose prevention
- Community Health Officials
- Harm Reduction Specialists
- Pharmacies
This website was developed by the National Association of Counties and empowers local leaders to invest resources from opioid settlements into effective treatment, recovery, prevention, and other public health practices.
- Community Coalitions
- Community Health Officials
- Policymakers
This is a peer-reviewed paper in Nature providing an overview of opioid use disorder (OUD) and is written by a group comprised of many leading experts in the field. The paper discusses the epidemiology of OUD, especially as it relates to risk factors and burden. Next, the neuroscience and pathophysiology of OUD are discussed. The last half of the paper provides the evidence on strategies for prevention, early intervention, and treatment for OUD.
- Early Intervention
- Educational
- Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
- Overdose prevention
- Syringe service program / Needle exchange
- Addiction Treatment Providers
- Community Coalitions
- Community Health Officials
- Medical
- Pharmacies
- Policymakers
The study conducted by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine targeted students in their medicine clerkship and assessed their motivational interviewing skills, harm reduction knowledge, and use of de-stigmatizing language towards a panel of opioid use disorder patients. Their skills were assessed before and after a case-based activity curriculum and indicated that each tested skill improved after implementation of the module.
- Educational
- Post-overdose response
- Addiction Treatment Providers
- Hospitals
- Medical
This is a toolkit from the Opioid Response Network that is designed to assist faith-based leaders in responding to the opioid crisis. It provides current information, resources, and action steps to support faith-based leaders in meeting the needs of their members and communities related to the opioid crisis and opioid use disorder.
- Educational
- Advocates / Peers
- Community Coalitions
This is a report from the National League of Cities which discusses several examples of interventions addressing the opioid crisis at the city and state level. Opportunities — through the use of Medicaid, federal grants, and other resources — are highlighted to expand those efforts
- Diversion
- Educational
- Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
- Community Coalitions
- Community Health Officials
- Criminal Justice
- Health Insurers
- Law Enforcement
- Policymakers
This is a report done by the U.S Government Accountability Office which gives an overview of how State Opioid Response (SOR) grants are used, examines how SAMHSA assesses SOR grants, and makes recommendations to SAMHSA on continuing to monitor and analyze program information in order to make improvements.
- Educational
- Community Coalitions
- Policymakers
This is a white paper from the Office of Women's Health that was developed by conducting a review of the literature focused on topics around opioid use disorders and women, as well as consulting with subject matter experts. This report begins by providing an overview of the opioid epidemic and what it means for women. Issues of prevention and treatment are then explored, all with the lens of the unique or pronounced needs of women. The paper concludes with a resource section with links to key information.
- Comprehensive services
- Early Intervention
- Educational
- Family Support
- Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
- Overdose prevention
- Advocates / Peers
- Community Coalitions
- Medical
- Policymakers
This is a report from The Sentencing Project that examines the sources of the opioid crisis, surveys health and justice policy responses at the federal and state levels, and draws on lessons from past drug crises to provide guidance on how to proceed. An overarching theme in this report is to end the War on Drugs, addressing addiction with public health and social services, not incarceration and punishment. There is also a focus on racial justice and equity.
- Cautious Opioid Prescribing
- Diversion
- Overdose prevention
- Community Coalitions
- Community Health Officials
- Criminal Justice
- Harm Reduction Specialists
- Law Enforcement
- Policymakers
This is a consensus study report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on integrating prevention and treatment services at the intersection of opioid use disorder and infectious diseases. The need for and background of integration are discussed, recommendations are made to overcome barriers to implementation, and case studies of select programs are presented.
- Comprehensive services
- Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
- Syringe service program / Needle exchange
- Addiction Treatment Providers
- Community Coalitions
- Community Health Officials
- Harm Reduction Specialists
- Health Insurers
- Hospitals
- Medical
This website from the RAND Corporation provides one-page summaries of published research tailored for policymakers and includes research on prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and special populations.
- Educational
- Advocates / Peers
- Community Coalitions
- Community Health Officials
- Policymakers