This is a report from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) that presents findings from a qualitative study that explores the unique challenges, joys, and experiences of peer recovery coaches (PRCs) across the US. Through a better understanding of the PRCs’ roles, this research aims…

This report from Facing Addiction is targeted to community collaborations, providing an outline for organizing a forum in your community to promote effective youth prevention programs, demonstrating the necessity and efficacy of evidence-based prevention practices, and underscoring the necessity…

This comprehensive report from the Surgeon General addresses the entire continuum of care for substance use disorder (SUD) including chapters on prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery. There are also chapters on the…

This special release by the Surgeon General is an extension of the previous comprehensive report on substance use disorders, highlighting extensive opioid-related information in one document. It provides the latest data on prevalence of…

This is a report from the National Council for Behavioral Health that examines the factors that influence access to medications for opioid use disorder and substance use disorder treatment, including rural location, stigma, shortage of providers, and insurance coverage. Findings of this report…

This is a report from the Center for Children and Family Futures and National Association of Drug Court Professionals that provides best practices in child welfare, treatment, the courts, and child and family well-being. Within this document, eight specific standards are discussed in detail. …

This report explores efforts to incorporate family-focused interventions to prevent adolescent substance use disorders into state health care policies. It describes barriers to implementing such interventions as well as lessons learned from successful efforts to scale up these interventions.

This is a brief report from the Northern New England Poison Center that provides recommendations for handling fentanyl and its analogues out in the field. The risks to first responders are minimal, especially through skin absorption, and use of excessive protective equipment could delay patient…

This is a report from the Bloomberg American Health Initiative that discusses the methods and results of the FORECAST study, a comprehensive project to better understand drug checking technologies, such as fentanyl test strips, and how people who use drugs and organizations that serve this…

This is a brief report from the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association that explains how fentanyl test strips work, summarizes the evidence of their harm reduction benefits, and discusses the current challenges surrounding their legality. 

This is an academic paper that explored the real world use of fentanyl test strips (FTS). The study found that using FTS and receiving a positive test result was associated with changes in drug use behavior and perceptions of overdose safety.

This is an article from EMS World, a journal tailored to emergency medical service responders, that discusses the New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (NOEMS) response to the opioid crisis, which includes innovative data collection, active outreach, and collaboration with other stakeholders…

This is a report from the Deloitte Center for Government Insights that describes a ecological approach to addressing the opioid crisis. A portfolio of policies, multi-sector collaboration, innovation, and feasibility/sustainability are features of this approach. 

This report describes the shortage of licensed behavioral health care specialists and reviews relevant literature relevant to its causes and remedies. It recommends steps the federal government could undertake to address the shortage, including increased funding to support training of behavioral…

This academic paper reviews evidence on first responder programs that take an assertive approach to making linkages to treatment for those with substance use disorders. A number of effective linkage strategies are described that reduce the barriers to rapid access to treatment. 

This is an academic paper that evaluates a pilot that established a collaborative in rural Colorado to increase the prescribing of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) by nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Preliminary results suggest the pilot was successful in increasing…

This is a report from the National Governor's Association which outlines several recommendations on how the federal government can help state governments and local communities tackle the opioid crisis in the areas of prevention, treatment, and recovery. These include increasing federal funding…

This report published by the Rural Health Opioid Program tells the story of the ten RHOP grantees by highlighting their grant projects' achievements during the life of their grant. The report outlines each program's mission, community description, and project outcomes with each emphasizing…

This report highlights the burden of opioid use disorder (OUD) on rural communities and the problems related to accessibility amidst higher rates of socioeconomic vulnerability. Through the development of community based programs, the Rural Health Opioid Program outlines how through increasing…

This is a report from the National Academies that provides guidance to help direct funding and action toward a robust, well-functioning treatment system to address opioid use disorder. To address the treatment "ecosystem", authors highlight the 4 C's: capacity, competency, consistency, and…