This is a statistical brief from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) that describes how counties that have high versus low population rates of opioid-related hospital use differ with regard to social determinants of health (SDOH). The SDOH studied include social, educational, and…

This is an academic paper that gives an overview of studies that have examined the association between socioeconomic characteristics and opioid-related overdose deaths. Nearly all reviewed studies found a connection between a socioeconomic variable and overdose, supporting the…

This is a report that describes how State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) are aiding their rural communities in responding to the addiction crisis, while meeting the expectations of SORH grants. Initiatives across the nation are highlighted, with a focus on collection and dissemination of…

This is a report which describes lessons learned from states that acted as models for statewide approaches that prevent and address adverse childhood experiences and development of trauma-informed policies. The report also highlights the goals, policies, and programs developed and launched by…

This report published by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) gives an overview on the connection between opioid use disorder and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). The report also highlights state approaches to NAS data collection, analysis, and cross-agency data linkage, and…

This is a report from the Brookings Institute (authors Pacula and Stein) that discusses three broad strategies states are taking, through a variety of policy levers, to enhance the quality of and access to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD).

These strategies include: increasing…

This report from the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is informed by interviews of state officials from Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Texas to learn about their interagency strategies to support pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders, particularly Medicaid-…

This is a report which outlines policy measures that can be introduced in order to ensure that patients can continue to benefit from tele health treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) after the pandemic. These policy recommendations include requiring private and public health insurers to…

This is a report from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) that explores the core components of a family-centered program framework that use medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). An overview of state variation in eligibility requirements and care…

This is a report from the CDC that identifies state strategies to improve outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder and infants prenatally exposed to substances, including opioids. It discusses strategies focused on access to and coordination of quality services,…

This is a report from the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) that discusses how child-serving agencies are responding to the opioid crisis. It includes states’ strategies to support young children and families impacted by opioid use disorder (OUD), available state and federal…

This is a report from the Urban Institute that uses Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data to assess buprenorphine maintenance treatment in Medicaid from 2011-2018. Although buprenorphine prescriptions increased during the study period, there were large variations between states, with nonexpansion…

This report from SAMHSA provides a directory that summarizes information on peer recovery coaching in every state. The information provided covers certification requirements, hourly pay rate, general screening criteria, financing for recovery coaching services, and settings in which peer…

This report recommends that states implement measures to track treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) as a means to optimize utilization of resources. It identifies eight core measures including OUD diagnoses, provider availability, treatment initiation, use of medications for opioid use…

This is a report from the Mental Health Commission of Canada that summarizes an 18-month project on opioid use disorder (OUD) stigma and gives a scoping literature review as well as the results of key informant interviews and focus groups involving first responders, persons with lived experience…

This study develops a typology of the stigma related to opioid use, showing how multiple dimensions of stigma continue to fundamentally hinder the response to the crisis.

The paper explains how public stigma is driven by stereotypes about people with opioid use disorders, such as their…

This in an annual summit sponsored by National Academy of Medicine and Shatterproof that brings together stakeholders to discuss the negative impact of stigma on people with substance use disorders and elevate action-oriented strategies to address and eliminate the harms caused by stigma. More…

This is an academic paper that provides a commentary on the role that stigma plays in substance use disorder, how it manifests, and the evidence base for combating it. 

This report, put together by the Toronto Drug Strategy, presents the results of focus groups for people who use alcohol and other drugs and their experiences of stigma and discrimination. Additionally, recommendations for action are made for the development of strategies to address stigma and…

This is an academic paper that provides commentary on the impact of stigma on a person with substance use disorder (SUD), with a specific focus on how stigmatizing language sustains stigma. Stigma is associated with detrimental effects on treatment outcomes, health care providers, treatments,…