Report

During the initial stages of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) implementation, lead agencies of RCORP consortia reported difficulty recruiting new members, building key partnerships, and planning and coordinating RCORP-focused activities. Fortunately, with dedication and collaborative work, consortium growth and engagement became successful at the end of the grant period, as reported by 87.5 percent of the grantees. Findings in the report available for download below are based on qualitative interviews conducted with RCORP grantees between 9/1/2020 and 8/31/2022.

The report provides key findings from the study assessing substance use and recovery stigma by healthcare workers, compared to non-healthcare workers. The stigma that is perceived by people who use drugs or are in recovery (PWUD/IR) was found to be a structural concern as a large population are opting out of going to the doctor, leaving them open to a variety of untreated illnesses.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is conducted annual and provides nationally representative data on the use of substances (tobacco, alcohol, and drugs), substance use disorders, those who received substance use treatment, and mental health issues and services. This survey is conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The data visualization in the National Vital Statistics System, received and processed by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), shows the 12 month provisional number and percent change of drug overdose deaths. The analysis dashboard also shows the provisional number of drug overdose deaths by drug or drug class.

The Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA (FDA Foundation), in partnership with several operating divisions within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), convened two roundtable meetings to understand the perspectives of the harm reduction community, clinicians, and researchers about using fentanyl drug checking and screening as harm reduction and clinical strategies.

Performance Improvement Measurement System

This report summarizes current (as of 2011) guidelines or recommendations published by multiple agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for prevention and control of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and tuberculosis (TB) for persons who use drugs illicitly.

This report, Left Out: Barriers to Health Equity for Rural and Underserved Communities, provides extensive background on the issues impacting health in rural and underserved communities, highlights themes within the universe of RFI responses and successful models of care delivery, and discusses many of the challenges associated with scalable and sustainable solutions to address health inequities and disparities.

In its annual report, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) presents data on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, as well as trends in mental health and access to treatment.

Navigating Addiction and Treatment: A Guide for Families is a resource for family members who are trying to navigate the complex world of addiction and help loved ones achieve recovery. The guide includes basic definitions, as well as in-depth information about substance use disorders, treatment options, communication strategies, and self-care tips.