This is an academic paper that reviews the literature on including people who use drugs (PWUD) as part of research, intervention development and implementation, and policy advocacy. The barriers of stigma and discrimination must be addressed to improve engagement of PWUD in the decision-making process, though this population brings a critical skill set and unique perspective to the table. 

This academic paper is a review that presents strategies to improve opioid use disorder treatment and recovery with a focus on engineering approaches grounded in systems thinking. Specifically, this paper describes how the field of engineering can play an important supporting role in the opioid crisis through informing community-based approaches on the development, testing, and implementation of multifaceted innovative solutions.

This academic paper summarizes a peer recovery support program to engage individuals using opioids and link them with a range of services. Results show that this program effectively engaged and linked individuals to mental health and treatment services. 

This toolkit is aimed towards local and state health departments and community partners who are exploring opportunities to implement or enhance peer support services within overdose response and linkage to care initiatives. It provides information, resources, tools, actionable steps, and examples formed by research and experiences varying from across the country. 

This paper describes a modeling study done to estimate the impact of two dose naloxone kits on reduction of opioid overdose mortality. The authors concluded that the need for naloxone distribution expansion in almost every state researched is high, and that community based programs and pharmacy access points should be emphasized to decrease opioid overdose mortality. 

This is an academic paper that provides commentary on how stigma stymies progress across the entire continuum of care - prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery. Federal and state initiatives to alleviate stigma are discussed. 

This academic paper explores which interventions provided by problem solving courts and correctional facilities in the state of Indiana impact mortality and morbidity. The problem solving court, also known as a drug court, is an example of an intervention that refers individuals to treatment rather than incarceration. The authors found that the adoption of these diversion interventions was associated with lower rates of opioid-related morbidity and mortality. 

This is a chapter from the book Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic: Balancing Societal and Individual Benefits and Risks of Prescription Opioid Use that provides an extensive overview of the evidence on a wide array of interventions and policies to address the opioid crisis. 

This research report from the Urban Institute aims to provide input into a comprehensive community response through a systematic review and assessment of existing evidence to discern the effectiveness of interventions aimed to prevent and treat opioid use disorder (OUD) among adolescents in Ohio.

Through a targeted systematic literature review, this report identified and assessed promising interventions for addressing OUD among adolescents in three areas: (1) prevention, (2) screening and referral to treatment, and (3) treatment.

This is a report from Arnold Ventures and Carnevale consisting of a team of researchers that organizes what is known about public health-related services, programs, and strategies that have the strongest evidence for effectively putting abatement funds to work that may be the result of future opioid litigation settlements. Each intervention is classified by level of evidence and are represented across the continuum of care. 

This CDC report is designed to assist a wide range of stakeholders in understanding and navigating effective strategies to prevent opioid overdose in their communities. It provides evidence for specific opioid policies and strategies and discusses existing implementation of these interventions in communities. 

This report outlines how healthcare providers can take an active role in supporting the health of pregnant individuals who have opioid use disorder (OUD) and their babies. Key points include that buprenorphine and methadone can be safely used in pregnancy to treat OUD; medically supervised withdrawal from medications for OUD during pregnancy is not recommended; and there is a need for providers to prioritize health equity for underserved pregnant people with OUD.