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Results sorted by updated date (newest first)
Posted 3/2/2021 (updated 4/4/2024)
In light of the accelerating and rapidly evolving overdose crisis in the United States (US), new strategies are needed to address the epidemic and to efficiently engage and retain individuals in care for opioid use disorder (OUD). Moreover, there is an increasing need for novel approaches to using health data to identify gaps in the cascade of care for persons with OUD.
Posted 7/28/2021 (updated 4/2/2024)
Various state and local jurisdictions in the United States are implementing mobile models for treating opioid use disorder (OUD). In August 2020, RTI International spoke with six agencies to learn more about their mobile treatment programs. This article is the first in a three-part series on mobile response programs and provides an in-depth look at two of these programs. We will discuss the remaining programs in two subsequent articles. The goal of this series is to inform jurisdictions considering whether a mobile treatment program would work in their communities and to determine what type of model would fit best.
Posted 4/12/2022 (updated 3/27/2024)
Since 1999, an estimated 841,000 people in the U.S. have died from a drug overdose. Beginning in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly exacerbated the overdose crisis resulting in a 30% increase in 2020 compared to 2019. The majority of overdose deaths in the U.S. involve opioids, including nearly 71% of all overdose deaths in 2019.3 Despite high rates of overdose across the nation, overdose and overdose death are preventable. However, people at risk of overdose often face significant challenges accessing treatment and navigating systems of care. Local and state health departments are well-suited to lead and support efforts to prevent and respond to overdose and to link people to evidence-based treatment and services. Peer support services (PSS) are a valuable component of a growing number of overdose response and linkage to care initiatives that can be implemented and supported by local and state health departments.
Posted 3/16/2022 (updated 3/27/2024)
Background: Sharp exacerbations of the US overdose crisis are linked to polysubstance use of synthetic compounds. Xylazine is a veterinary tranquilizer, long noted in the street opioid supply of Puerto Rico, and more recently Philadelphia. Yet its national trends, geographic distribution, and health risks are poorly characterized. Methods: In this sequential mixed-methods study, xylazine was increasingly observed by ethnographers in Philadelphia among drug-sellers and people who inject drugs (PWID). Subsequently, we systematically searched for records describing xylazine-present overdose mortality across the US and assessed time trends and overlap with other drugs
Posted 11/19/2019 (updated 3/25/2024)
The intersection of opioid abuse, particularly injection drug use (IDU), and HIV is well documented; in fact, IDU is the second most frequent route of HIV transmission. Injection drug use, either directly or via sexual contact with an IDU partner, accounts for one-third of the estimated AIDS cases since the beginning of the epidemic, and 18 percent of new infections in the United States.