This is an evidence brief from the Veterans Affairs Evidence Synthesis Program (authors Mackay et al.) that provides a review of 44 studies on patient outcomes following long-term opioid dose reduction or discontinuation, which include overdose and suicide. 

In response to rising opioid deaths, this report describes post-overdose outreach programs that connect overdose survivors with a variety of services and strategies to reduce their risk for future overdose. It provides evidence-based guidance to agencies and communities seeking to implement such…

This is a report from the Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction (author Taha) that outlines the standard of service that should be implemented to provide person-centered care to all people experiencing harms from opioids across the continuum of care, including a summary of actions…

This academic paper outlines a study which utilized the Delphi approach to identify the best practices for overdose prevention and naloxone delivery (OEND). The investigators engaged with 27 experts on the topic of OEND who were asked to review and rank a given list of best practices. The…

This is an academic article that gives an overview of opioid use disorder treatment models in the emergency department (ED). The ASSERT Model employs peer workers to directly link patients to services, the…

This report is published by the Center for Court Innovation and describes a reconstruction of current drug court practices through the lens of harm reduction and bridging the gap between these contrasting paradigms. The report suggests more effective ways for drug…

This is an article from EMS World, a journal tailored to emergency medical services, that summarizes the post-overdose response of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue (PBCFR), which includes utilizing both mobile integrated healthcare (MIH) as the bridge between EMS and long-term treatment and peer…

This is a report from the Georgia Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health that uses the Building Community Resilience (BCR) framework to connect the science behind the "Pair of ACEs" to real-world health care practice and public policy. Adverse childhood experiences and…

This is a peer-reviewed article that describes how to do a community needs assessment in the context of creating a “recovery-ready” community.

The Recovery Ready Ecosystem Model (RREM) and Recovery Ready Community Framework build upon the early work of the recovery-oriented systems of…

This is a report from the Police Executive Research Forum that documents a forum put together for public safety and public health experts to discuss a comprehensive response to the opioid crisis. Information on building successful partnerships is discussed and successful joint public safety-…

This report, from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, focuses on the effectiveness, demand, and access to buprenorphine as a treatment for opioid use disorder. It provides a good overview of buprenorphine as well as its availability. 

This academic paper describes the implementation of a novel telemedicine treatment program that provided buprenorphine to incarcerated individuals in detention centers located in rural Maryland. Results of this flexible and innovative program are promising. The challenges and successes that this…

This is an academic paper that examines the differences in the receipt of buprenorphine prescription by race/ethnicity. Study findings demonstrate that whites are more likely to receive buprenorphine treatment compared with blacks, highlighting the need for racial equity. Also, buprenorphine…

This is an academic paper that evaluates an intervention to buy back prescription opioids that were initially prescribed to patients in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System after surgery. Nearly 30% of patients returned unused prescription opioids and the resulting feedback provided to…

This academic paper describes a study done to address the false belief among law enforcement that there is a risk of overdose from accidentally inhaling or touching fentanyl. The results showed that a brief training module can have a corrective effect on this false belief. 

This peer-reviewed article evaluates the PROSPER trial. PROSPER implemented school-based evidence-based prevention interventions for sixth graders in rural public school districts in Iowa and Pennsylvania. The findings showed that these strategies are effective in decreasing nonmedical…

This is a report from Quantum Units Education that provides clinical guidelines to comprehensively address opioid use disorder (OUD) in homeless populations, with a discussion on barriers to OUD treatment, successful interventions, and promising practices. 

This academic paper discusses how the authors managed the challenges of developing a comprehensive program for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy. In addition, the paper outlines an approach for facilitating the development of community-based programs to help these patients…

This is an academic paper that provides a framing for understanding addiction that can mitigate blame and stigma while also acknowledging the moral dimension of addictive behavior. 

These CDC guidelines provide recommendations for primary care clinicians who are prescribing opioids for chronic pain outside of active cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care.