Resources
9 Results (showing 1 - 9)
Results sorted by updated date (newest first)
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 2/18/2021 (updated 4/4/2024)
Opioid use disorder (OUD), a chronic disease, is a major public health problem. Despite availability of effective treatment, too few people receive it and treatment retention is low. Understanding barriers and facilitators of treatment access and retention is needed to improve outcomes for people with OUD.
In this study we sought to assess 3-month outcomes from a patient-centered practice that included MAT with buprenorphine or naltrexone plus the option to participate in psychosocial treatments. The psychosocial treatments included case management, psychotherapy, peer recovery groups such as Narcotics Anonymous or Smart Recovery, or peer support through a local harm reduction program.
Posted 2/3/2021 (updated 4/4/2024)
The opioid epidemic is the result of a complex system of varied and interrelated factors. This webinar introduced a systems thinking approach and tools to address such complex public health challenges. The Georgia Health Policy Center’s Opioid Systems Map was presented as a case study for the creation and application of systems mapping in local communities. The webinar fostered a holistic view of the opioid epidemic and described opportunities to further develop systems thinking capacity for application to grantees’ local opioid response.
Posted 8/4/2021 (updated 4/2/2024)
Posted 7/28/2021 (updated 4/2/2024)
The most effective treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) are the three prescription medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone—that are proved to increase a patient’s treatment retention and reduce illicit use and the risk of overdose. The only facilities legally able to offer all three medications are opioid treatment programs (OTPs), a critical component of the U.S. substance use treatment system that are regulated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), as well as state agencies, and are certified to administer any FDA-approved medication for the treatment of OUD.
Posted 12/21/2022 (updated 3/27/2024)
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released a notice of proposed rulemaking that would allow certified opioid treatment programs to begin prescribing the drug via audio-only or video-enabled telehealth. See additional information under Policy Updates below. The proposed changes come on top of recent findings by HHS of the positive impact of its revised Practice Guidelines for the Administration of Buprenorphine for Treating Opioid Use Disorder that removed two longstanding requirements for obtaining a waiver to treat up to 30 patients with buprenorphine: 1) the requirement for specific training, and 2) the need for otherwise eligible clinicians to certify their ability to provide or refer patients for counseling and other services. Rural primary care providers have obtained the DEA waiver at a lower rate than urban clinicians; decreased burden and greater flexibility in the guidelines, along with broader use of telehealth could help close that gap.
Posted 9/25/2023 (updated 3/27/2024)
The Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) has provided events and resources throughout September 2023 for National Recovery Month.
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 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.