This is a report from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) that summarizes a study finding that increased availability of buprenorphine treatment predicted reductions in certain types of child maltreatment caseloads in 25 states. Implications to the child welfare system are discussed.  

This is an academic paper that provides results of a qualitative study that interviewed buprenorphine prescribers on how they have adapted to the coronavirus pandemic. Most providers were only doing telehealth visits. Noted positives included increased access to treatment and noted negatives included technological issues and less structure and accountability. 

This is an academic paper showing that treating pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) via telemedicine was just as effective as in-person treatment when measuring rates of treatment retention and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), even though the sample size was small (n = 98) and the study did not use randomization. 

This is a toolkit from National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center that provides a wide range of information on the opioid crisis, what tribal communities are doing to address the issue, and access to documents that other communities can use to implement a response. 

This is a report outlining a four pronged strategy for overdose prevention with the goal of strengthening prevention efforts and increasing access to the full continuum of care and services for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). The four target areas in this strategy are primary prevention, harm reduction, evidence-based treatment, and recovery support. In addition this strategy is aimed at all populations with OUD in an effort to be more inclusive. 

This is a website from the University of California, San Francisco that provides tools and resources on the impact of unconscious bias and how to address it. It includes access to the Implicit Association Test, educational resources, and a review of the evidence for this type of training. This training could be especially relevant in the healthcare system. 

This website links to the necessary material for a half-day training on reducing drug-related stigma. Developed by the Harm Reduction Coalition, this training is relevant for community-based direct service staff, caseworkers, therapists, peer advocates, program administrators, medical providers, and all who are interested in understanding and addressing drug-related stigma.

There is a guide, a workbook, a presentation, and video clips as part of the training. 

This is an academic paper that provides a review on what is known about the links between suicide and overdoses, with a focus on pathways through opioid use, issues of intent, risk factors, prevention strategies, and unresolved issues. Untreated and undertreated pain leading to suicide is also explored. 

This report is a useful resource for individuals caring for someone with mental illness or substance use disorder, and explains how to navigate federal law protections that ensure quality health insurance coverage for these and related conditions. It gives the tools and information necessary for obtaining the behavioral health services for the child or family members in their care. 

This is a toolkit from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network that examines the complex intersection of trauma and substance use. Information is tailored to both mental health and addiction treatment professionals. Recommendations for evidence-based treatment for youth and increasing engagement in this population are made. 

This is an academic paper aiming to prove the efficacy of using peer support specialists (PSS) in the emergency department (ED) to increase buprenorphine treatment. The use of PSS to facilitate more ED- initiated buprenorphine treatment by identifying appropriate candidates through screening is feasible but requires coordination and planning. 

The Opioid Misuse Resource Map provides a list of interventions at the community level to address the opioid crisis by each state. The list shows a number of opioid-related projects that have been compiled from USDA partners and agencies throughout the US.