This is a website from Abt Associates highlighting a series of reports that provide a scoping review of first responder-led programs designed to maximize diversion from the justice and emergency systems to treatment and community-based services, then presents a framework for considering the…

This is a meeting summary from the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which convened a gathering of rural health leaders, addiction specialists, and policy experts to understand the challenges in rural Northern California and to identify potential solutions.

There is a focus of…

This is an academic paper that evaluates a community prescription medication take-back/drug disposal drive that was led by surgeons in a city in Michigan. Results were impressive as a total of 74,363 dosing units of unused medication, most commonly hydrocodone (an opioid), were brought in from…

This is a fact sheet from the Harm Reduction Coalition that describes stigma among people who use drugs and ways to reduce that stigma. 

This is a report from the National League of Cities and Policy Research, Inc. that details the various co-responder models available to city and county leaders to respond to behavioral health crises. These innovate models are cost-effective options to divert individuals away from the criminal…

This is an academic paper that proposes an innovative model to increase initiation of medications in those with opioid use disorder (OUD). Medication treatment would be initiated in recovery community organizations (RCOs), which typically deliver recovery support services. Treatment could begin…

This is a policy brief from the National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center that highlights that the opioid crisis has impacted American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) more than other groups. Causes mentioned are overprescribing and a high prevalence of trauma in AI/AN. The…

This is a report from the Partnership to End Addiction that gives an overview of what prevention is, why it is a critical component of a comprehensive response to addiction, and the importance of delivering evidence-based prevention strategies earlier and broader. Research and practice…

This is a report from the Arnold Foundation intended to support state Medicaid agencies and payers in improving access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, quality, and capacity, with a special focus on medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). 

This paper gives an overview of the academic literature on non-traditional routes for initiating a patient with opioid use disorder on buprenorphine. Some of the settings discussed are emergency departments, the criminal justice system, and community outreach. These routes may serve as vital…

This report from USDA and ONDCP is a compilation of qualitative data collected from numerous community organizations, which provides an overview of the key challenges rural communities face when addressing the consequences of prescription opioid misuse and the use of illicit substances, divided…

This is a working paper from the Maine Rural Health Research Center (authors Gale, Hansen, and Williamson) and is a qualitative study based on interviews with key stakeholders in Indiana, North Carolina, Vermont, and Washington State that explores promising state and community strategies to…

This is a website from the Harm Reduction Coalition that gives information on syringe service programs, provides information on how to establish one of these programs with specific focus on implementing the program in rural areas, and has links to helpful resources. 

This is a manual entitled “RxStat” that is targeted to municipal and country leaders on how to best address drug use problems in their jurisdictions. It focuses on combining a public health and public safety approach and is derived from experience by the New York City's Department of Health and…

This is a report from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids that provides an introduction to the issue of safe drug disposal programs. It is written to help community officials and organizers design a safe drug disposal program for their community, along with giving an overview of the regulations…

This is an academic paper which evaluates jail reentry interventions available to individuals with substance use disorder. There was a high amount of linkage to community treatment but low retention or adherence from targeted individuals. The authors concluded that more controlled trials and…

This report discusses the evidence supporting the effectiveness of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) as a comprehensive approach, as well as for the implementation and effectiveness of the individual components of SBIRT for different behavioral health conditions.…

This is a report which outlines the extent and impact that addiction discrimination and stigma have on individuals with substance use disorder. The report includes data collected by the Shatterproof Addiction Stigma Index, a measurement tool designed to specifically measure addiction stigma and…

This is a report from Shatterproof that shows the supply of healthcare professionals (HCP) waivered to prescribe buprenorphine on the the state and county level. Nationally, less than 6% of HCP are waivered to prescribe buprenorphine and a little more than 3% have publicly disclosed they they…

This is an academic paper that examines the social roots of the opioid crisis, creating a social determinants of health framework to better understand opioid-related harms across the drug-use continuum. Findings suggest that policymakers and public health leaders should develop partnerships with…