Trainings and Resources

On March 16, 2020, to facilitate access to methadone treatment from opioid treatment programs (OTPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration allowed states to request blanket exceptions to provide up to 28 and 14 days of take-home methadone for stable and less stable patients, respectively; this signaled a shift in practice because most patients historically receive methadone daily from OTPs.

IMPORTANCE Thousands of pregnant people with opioid use disorder (OUD) enter US jails annually, yet their access to medications for OUD (MOUD) that meet the standard of care (methadone and/or buprenorphine) is unknown. OBJECTIVE To assess the availability of MOUD for the treatment of pregnant individuals with OUD in US jails.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) contracted with RTI International to conduct a scoping review of the scientific literature on non-fatal opioidinvolved overdose (NFOO) to better understand the health outcomes and health care implications associated with opioid epidemic. NFOO is a significant cause of opioid-related morbidity in the United States, and is of heightened interest to ASPE given the sharp increase in fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses as a result of the current fentanyl crisis. Compared to the first and second phases of the opioid epidemic, when the majority of opioid-related morbidity and mortality was associated first with prescription opioids and then with heroin, illicitly-manufactured fentanyl (IMF) is now the leading cause of fatal opioid overdoses (CDC, 2017; O’Donnell, Gladden, & Seth, 2017). People who consume IMF, either wittingly or unwittingly, are at higher risk for accidental overdose, experience comparatively atypical overdose-related side effects, have unique risk profiles, and are at higher risk for poorer health outcomes (Somerville, 2017). To our knowledge, no investigation has been conducted to examine whether the sharp increase in NFOOs over the last several decades is negatively impacting overdose victims’ chronic physical and mental health outcomes. To investigate the status of the scientific literature regarding the consequences of NFOO on victims’ physical and mental health, we conducted a scoping review of the existing knowledge in multiple stages: (1) publication identification; (2) selection of publications; and (3) data extraction, charting, and synthesis. Key findings from our review are presented below.

This News Brief describes the need for harm reduction and treatment services in rural areas for people who use psychostimulants and how those services can be provided by the opioid treatment program

This toolkit provides correctional administrators and health care providers the information necessary to plan and implement MAT programs within jails and prisons.

Pharmacists can play an important role in improving access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), especially for individuals living in rural areas where health care workforce shortages are pervasive. Learn how pharmacists can provide Medication Administration Services (MAS) and establish Collaborative Practice Agreements (CPA) in coordination with one or more treating health care providers.