This report from the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association provides hospitals with clinical and operational recommendations for developing policies and procedures for administering and/or prescribing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in hospital emergency departments or satellite emergency facilities. 

This is an issue brief from several collaborating agencies that offers statistics on opioid misuse and overdose deaths in rural Appalachian communities. Strategies and resources to address opioid issues are highlighted within this document. In addition, the brief covers recommendations to assist policymakers, funders, and leaders working to reduce opioid-related health disparities.

This is an academic paper that assess treatment utilization among those with substance use disorders during the coronavirus pandemic. Like other areas of the healthcare system, findings from this study show that service disruption and fear of contracting COVID-19 have decreased treatment utilization among this population. 

This is a report from Grantmakers in Aging that is broken into two major sections. The first section looks at the crisis arising from opioids in rural communities and, in particular, the damage it is causing in the lives of many older people and families. The second section turns toward solutions, looking at a wide range of hopeful responses that governments, communities, and funders are already starting to put into place, and which ones are most promising to scale and support.

Several promising program models and funding sources are highlighted within this document.

This is a report from several collaborating organizations (authors Johnson and Beletsky) that provides recommendations on how to scale up re-entry services for incarcerated individuals during the coronavirus pandemic, in the context of the general public's support of different re-entry interventions as a result of COVID-19. 

This is a report developed by the Human Services Information Technology Advisory Group (HSITAG) that explores the relationship between homelessness and opioid use disorder (OUD). Current policies and funding targeting this population are discussed, and a more informed, comprehensive picture of the problem and potential solutions through data sharing (e.g. Medicaid, Medicare, social services, criminal justice, and public health) is put forth. 

This was a presentation done at the Rx Summit that describes how faith leaders and their community members are currently responding to the opioid epidemic as well as how community stakeholders can partner with faith-based organizations. Two faith-based initiatives in West Virginia and Ohio are highlighted.  

This is a statistical brief from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project that gives the epidemiology of endocarditis associated with opioid use disorder (OUD) from 2005-2016. During this time period, inpatient stays for endocarditis related to OUD have doubled. 

This is a presentation from a webinar on hospital-based buprenorphine initiatives from the Maryland Hospital Association. Specific hospital experiences implementing these initiatives and preliminary outcome data are highlighted. 

This is an academic paper that provides commentary on understanding how state telehealth laws intersect with the opioid overdose epidemic. The article conducts a legal mapping study, which is a type of legal epidemiological assessment of statutes and regulations that intersect at telemedicine and opioids.

This is a presentation and webinar by Oregon SBIRT (author Winkle) that provides guidance on integrating harm reduction principles into screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) to improve this evidence-informed technique. The overall goal of this integration is to reduce harm and open pathways to treatment in the long run. There is information on the role that stigma plays in substance use disorder. 

This is an academic paper that examines the use of telemedicine for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment from 2010-2017. Although use has slightly increased, it has only increased in certain demographics whereas telemedicine for mental health has increased much more quickly. Key regulatory and reimbursement barriers to greater use of telehealth for SUD are discussed.