This is a report from the Rural Policy Research Institute that provides an overview of behavioral health in rural America with the goal of helping rural leaders and providers understand the issues related to rural mental health and substance use and give them resources and tools to develop targeted strategies to address the unique needs of their communities.

In response to rising opioid deaths, this report describes post-overdose outreach programs that connect overdose survivors with a variety of services and strategies to reduce their risk for future overdose. It provides evidence-based guidance to agencies and communities seeking to implement such programs and suggests best practices based on community experience and a review of the relevant literature.

This is a report from the Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction (author Taha) that outlines the standard of service that should be implemented to provide person-centered care to all people experiencing harms from opioids across the continuum of care, including a summary of actions taking place across Canada at multiple levels of government.

This is a website from the National Institute for Health Care Management that provides data on the fourth wave of the opioid crisis, polysubstance use involving opioids and stimulants, such as cocaine and methamphetamine. 

This is a peer-reviewed article that describes how to do a community needs assessment in the context of creating a “recovery-ready” community.

The Recovery Ready Ecosystem Model (RREM) and Recovery Ready Community Framework build upon the early work of the recovery-oriented systems of care (ROSC). This is a theoretical model.

This is a report from the Police Executive Research Forum that documents a forum put together for public safety and public health experts to discuss a comprehensive response to the opioid crisis. Information on building successful partnerships is discussed and successful joint public safety-public health interventions are highlighted within this document. 

This is an academic paper that provides a framing for understanding addiction that can mitigate blame and stigma while also acknowledging the moral dimension of addictive behavior. 

This is a report from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) that describes the housing models available for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) who experience housing instability or homelessness. Several implemented models are highlighted within this document.

This is a report from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts that highlights several programs that strengthen the continuum of care for pregnant and parenting women so they have uninterrupted access to opioid use disorder treatment as well as the support they need to sustain their recovery and build healthy families.

This is a report from several collaborating organizations in Colorado that puts forth the strategic plan for the state to increase capacity for recovery through three objectives: 1) Create a recovery-oriented system of care 2) Provide recovery-oriented clinical care 3) Equip communities with recovery supports. 

This report from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) presents the study results of interviews and focus groups to explore how the opioid crisis is uniquely affecting diverse Appalachian communities, and to identify effective content and messaging strategies that Appalachian community-based organizations can use to support opioid misuse prevention, treatment, and recovery

After describing the key findings of the impact of the opioid crisis on Appalachian communities and attitudes towards people with opioid use disorder (OUD), the report provides specific communication strategies that communities can use to educate the general public, reduce stigma, and prevent opioid misuse and OUD. 

This is an academic paper that gives an overview of the HEALing Communities Study to address the opioid crisis, with a focus on how this multistate, community-engaged research project used community coalitions to tailor evidence-based practices to meet the unique needs of the communities involved in the study.