Resources
10 Results (showing 1 - 10)
Results sorted by updated date (newest first)
Results sorted by updated date (newest first)
Posted 4/21/2021 (updated 4/5/2024)
This News Brief defines psychostimulants; explains why psychostimulant use disorder is under-addressed, particularly in rural areas; reviews the reasons why people use psychostimulants and the harms they can cause; and addresses the impact of COVID-19 on psychostimulant use.
Posted 4/21/2021 (updated 4/5/2024)
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
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 1/12/2021 (updated 4/4/2024)
This handbook is for anyone looking for help or information, and for people who care about them, who may be: Misusing prescription pain medications, using narcotics, heroin, or other opioid drugs; thinking about seeking help for an opioid problem; or Considering medications that help with recovery from opioid use disorder.
Posted 10/14/2021 (updated 4/3/2024)
Participants learned evidenced-based harm reduction strategies to keep people who use opioids and psychostimulants alive with reduced disease burden. Presenters discussed methods of engaging people who actively use opioids and/or psychostimulants, harm reduction interventions, overdose prevention and response, overamping prevention and response, and linkages to care.
Robert Childs, MPH, JBS International
Christine Rodriguez, MPH, Vital Strategies
Posted 8/18/2020 (updated 3/28/2024)
This guide was created for harm reduction medical staff and volunteers as a resource about the types of wounds common with injection drug use and also to increase knowledge about treatment modalities for this population. Skin and soft-tissue infections are the most common cause of hospitalization among people who inject drugs.
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 2/16/2022 (updated 3/26/2024)
In the United States, combined stimulant/opioid overdose mortality has risen dramatically over the last decade. These increases may particularly affect non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations. We used death certificate data from the US National Center for Health Statistics (2007–2019) to compare state-level trends in overdose mortality due to opioids in combination with 1) cocaine and 2) methamphetamine and other stimulants (MOS) across racial/ethnic groups (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Asian American/Pacific Islander).
Posted 12/20/2021 (updated 3/26/2024)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) want greater awareness of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their connection to high rates of overdose and suicide. This week they announced a new training webpage, UrgentRelatedPreventable.org, designed in collaboration with the American Public Health Association to provide background and talking points. The site explains how exposure to certain events and conditions in childhood have lasting effects on health, well-being, and prosperity far into adulthood. See Funding section below for a CDC effort to research the links between ACEs and substance use.