This is a manual created by the Harm Reduction Coalition that is designed to outline the process of developing and managing an Overdose Prevention and Education Program (OPEP), with or without a take-home naloxone component. It offers practical…

This is a report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other collaborating organizations that is designed to assist in responding to HIV among injecting drug users globally by expanding syringe service programs (SSP). How to start a new SSP, scale up existing SSP, and vital settings where…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 …

This report describes the results of a survey which examined the incidence and impact of stigma in regard to individuals with opioid use disorder and their chances of recovery. The results emphasize how stigma continues to be a barrier to treatment and highlights which populations recorded the…

This guide offers people with substance use disorder a description of the roles, values, and work environments of professional peer specialists. It uses visual aids to illustrate the integration of peer specialists into the treatment and recovery landscape and will help facilitate collaboration…

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…

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…

This report is intended to help policymakers and other stakeholders assess health policy evaluation studies at the state level, including evaluations of policies that address the opioid crisis. It describes methods to identify policy evaluation studies that provide stronger evidence about…

This is a report from the National Academy of State Health Policy that reviews common data sources that can help state leaders address key issues, such as preventing substance use disorders and diversion of controlled substances, supporting harm reduction, increasing treatment capacity and…

This is an issue brief from the Pew Charitable Trusts targeting policymakers to maximize the chance of successful re-entry for people with substance use disorder leaving jails and prisons, with a focus on access to medications for opioid use disorder, health insurance coverage upon re-entry,…

This is an academic paper that examines how states are responding to the opioid crisis by using a survey of state health officials. As of 2015, prevalent state initiatives included educating the general public and specific stakeholders (e.g. pharmacists, physicians), cautious opioid prescribing…

This is an academic paper that provides commentary on the macro-environmental factors, such as pervasive stigma and the war on drugs, that have impeded effective responses to the opioid crisis. The ripple effect of criminalizing people who use drugs is explored. 

This is a report from the International Public Safety Association that provides: an overview of naloxone, fentanyl, and first responder contact overdoses; a discussion of naloxone administration methods – including policy and legal considerations for administration; and the impact of the opioid…