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Document Category: Recovery

Bridging the Gap: Telemedicine as a Path to Primary Care Pharmacotherapy for Opioid Use Disorder

In this webinar, Dr. Holly Russell and Michele Lawrence of UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence discuss telemedicine MOUD as a bridging strategy. They go through key questions involved in implementing a program, including how to plan and implement the use of a telemedicine “bridge,” and how to reach key populations with such a program. The bridge approach provides the community time to heal and develop trust, and also ensures physicians time to become trained in MOUD and build the necessary care management infrastructure into their practice for OUD treatment. Finally, the bridge connects patients with local access to the medication that is critical to their recovery and survival,

Insurance for Recovery Housing

Purchasing insurance for your recovery house is different from insuring your own home. Recovery housing insurance is nuanced and may require discussions with your board and insurance agent, and not all insurance agents are skilled in recovery housing insurance. You may have to look at other insurance companies to get appropriate coverage.

Critical Role of Peer Specialists in Recovery

Business people jumping over a gap

This article summarizes the discussion about the important role of Peer Recovery Specialists during a breakout session at the 2022 Taking Action Summit.
“As jail liaison for Santa Cruz County Justice Court in Arizona, Martin Felix has seen what peer specialists can do. He recalled waking up with tubes in his body after an overdose put him in a coma for three days. He now recognizes that his own extraordinary recovery is what gives him the credibility to reach others and offer them hope. He believes the perspective and insight that come from lived experience are “the special sauce” that enables peer specialists to relate to other people with substance use disorder (SUD) and guide them to recovery.”

Reducing Stigma in Rural EDs and Other Care Settings

This campaign aims to promote a stigma-free care environment while connecting individuals and families with treatment resources. It includes posters featuring people in recovery and emergency department providers who care for patients with substance use disorder. QR codes on the posters link to short videos with these individuals’ stories.

Welcoming Recovery

Stigma remains a challenge in community discussions of substance use disorder (SUD) and SUD treatment. It may create obstacles as an organization in a rural area works to establish a new treatment facility. To help reduce stigma and communicate the wide-reaching benefits of increasing access to treatment closer to home, the center has developed the […]

Resources for Monitoring Substance Use Trends

This article describes the websites for federal agencies and national or international organizations which can be useful sources of information about SUD trends, tools, and messaging. The highlighted websites include the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and several community websites offering discussion forums.

How to Select a Site

“Finding the right spot for a recovery residence isn’t easy. Considerable time, effort, and forethought are required, but due diligence in advance can pay off handsomely later. That’s because location is so important to a home’s ultimate success or failure. This is particularly true in rural areas because of the close-knit, symbiotic relationship houses have with the surrounding community. No residence is an island, but in remote areas the recovery houses must be especially mindful of location so they can access the services needed to provide a complete Continuum of Care.”

How to Handle NIMBY

When a recovery housing site is proposed, the project may be met with a “Not in My Backyard (NIMBY)” reaction from the community members. This guide includes a methodology and checklist to proactively address NIMBY issues in your community.

Welcome to the Rural SUD Info Center, a collection of best practices, tools, and research for rural communities as they work to build and strengthen a comprehensive approach to substance use disorder (SUD). These resources offer support to rural providers/partners, recovery specialists, rural community members, and more.

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This website is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of awards totaling $10 million with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.

FAQs

How can I learn more about the resources and services that are specifically available in my local area?

We encourage all visitors to the Rural SUD Info website to also explore additional resources and services available through the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA),  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), or Rural Health Information Hub (RHIHub).

How often are the Rural SUD Info Center materials updated?

Materials are updated on a quarterly basis.

How can I contact the Rural SUD Info Center?

Visit the request assistance page. https://ruralsudinfo.org/request-assistance/

Is there an Urban SUD Resource Center?

There is not an equivalent Urban SUD Resource Center. However, all of the information and tools on this website are available to the public, regardless of location or grant status. 

What are the Rural Centers of Excellence?

The RCOEs were established in 2019 by the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), an initiative of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that aims to reduce morbidity and mortality related to SUD in rural areas.

Myself, or someone I know, is in a crisis. What should I do?

Please call or text 988, or visit: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-support/in-crisis

What is the Rural SUD Info Center?

The Rural SUD Info Center is a collection of best practices, tools, and research for rural communities building and strengthening a comprehensive approach to substance use disorder (SUD). These resources offer support to rural providers/partners, recovery specialists, rural community members, and more.

What resources are available for providers and patients?

Resources available for providers and patients include the Clearinghouse Resource Page. We also encourage visitors to fill out a technical assistance (TA) request for implementation support.

Where can I find rural providers in my area?

We encourage our visitors to use resources found throughout the Rural SUD Info
Center, along with Health
Resources & Services Administration, Rural
Health Information Hub, and the three RCOEs
to locate rural providers in your area.

Where can I find previous versions of toolkits?

All old versions of toolkits and resources are archived and can be retrieved through a request via the request assistance form.

Who operates the Rural SUD Info Center?

The Rural SUD Info Center is operated by the three RCORP-Rural Centers of Excellence on Substance Use Disorders, which are funded by HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.

In Crisis? Call or Text 988