Resources
18 Results (showing 1 - 10)
Results sorted by updated date (newest first)
Results sorted by updated date (newest first)
Posted 5/12/2021 (updated 4/10/2024)
Drug overdose is a continuing epidemic that claimed the lives of over 67,000 Americans in 2018. Opioids, either alone or in combination with other substances, were responsible for approximately 70% of these deaths. Many of these lost lives and other opioid-related harms are preventable through the timely administration of the opioid reversal drug naloxone and, where appropriate, other follow-up care.
Posted 3/5/2021 (updated 4/5/2024)
The United States is facing a crisis of opioid-related overdose. At this time, more people die of overdose every year than died of AIDS at the peak of the HIV epidemic. Communities seek effective responses to prevent opioid death.
Posted 3/3/2021 (updated 4/5/2024)
The National Governors Association and the American Correctional Association recently released a new toolkit on "Expanding Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in Corrections and Community Settings: A Roadmap for States to Reduce Opioid Use Disorder for People in the Justice System."
This roadmap highlights existing state efforts and serves as a policy development tool for Governors and state officials seeking to improve coordination and bolster existing efforts across state agencies to address OUD among people involved in the justice system by expanding access to evidence-based medications. The following are key steps for supporting MOUD in corrections settings.
Posted 1/20/2021 (updated 4/4/2024)
People who use drugs (PWUD) in the U.S. experience disproportionate adverse health outcomes and mortality as compared with the population as a whole (Lake & Kennedy, 2016; Reisinger, Pratt, Shoenborn, & Druss, 2017). Similar health outcomes have been reported elsewhere, for example in the UK (Neale, 2004), and across 8 other European countries (Bargagli et al., 2006). In the U.S. health outcomes among PWUD are intensified by the overdose pandemic, epidemic rates of HIV, hepatitis A and C, skin and soft tissue infections (CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020; Hagen, Thiede, & Des Jarlais, 2005; Scholl, Seth, Kariisa, Wilson, & Baldwin, 2019), and by structural barriers thwarting health access and utilization.
Posted 12/29/2020 (updated 4/4/2024)
Whereas outpatient treatment with medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is evidence based, there is a large network of inpatient facilities in the US that are reimbursed by commercial insurers and do not typically offer MOUD. This study is a comparison of rates of overdose and hospitalization after initiation of medication for Opioid Use Disorder in the inpatient vs outpatient setting.
Posted 12/23/2020 (updated 4/4/2024)
This article presents an important look into stigma of families impacted by NAS and the ways in which healthcare providers must work to combat stigma’s harmful effects, and explores directions for future research of strategies for reducing stigma amongst this population to improve engagement in healthcare and positive heath-seeking behaviors. The authors reported that mothers of infants with NAS experience intensified stigma surrounding SUDs and the challenge of overcoming exclusion, shame, and judgement of their ability to parent. In examining nurses’ perceptions of perinatal women with SUD, the authors found that many struggled with negative attitudes and prejudices towards mothers of infants with NAS that interfered with their ability to provide nonjudgmental care. The authors urge nurses to implement substantial strategies for addressing stigma through tools such as the ACTS script.
Posted 10/27/2021 (updated 4/3/2024)
Posted 12/9/2020 (updated 4/3/2024)
State policymakers are interested in learning about the most effective treatments to address OUD and avoid unintended consequences such as overdose events, mortality from overdose, and use of illicit and unregulated drugs. This article describes the lack of evidence surrounding the use of Medically Supervised Withdrawal as a standalone “treatment.”
Posted 11/18/2020 (updated 4/3/2024)
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.
Posted 7/28/2021 (updated 4/2/2024)
Public health professionals refer to “hard to reach populations” as those who are not likely to access traditional health care and social services on their own due to various barriers that may include mental illness, unstable housing, lack of transportation, and substance use disorders (SUDs). Stigma and trust issues may play a role in those with SUD not seeking out services.