This is an academic paper that uses a survey among law enforcement officers in High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTAs) to explore knowledge and attitudes towards responding to opioid overdoses. Though most officers have access to naloxone and been trained to respond to an opioid overdose…

This report from the Bureau of Justice Assistance outlines 5 pathways that first responders and law enforcement can utilize though deflection and diversion of patients with opioid use disorder to treatment services. They are an alternative to traditional approaches taken by law enforcement and…

This is a report from Priority Criminal Justice Needs Initiative that summarizes the high-priority needs for law enforcement to address the opioid crisis, identified through a workshop of stakeholders.

This is a report from the SAFE Project and the Police, Treatment, and Community Collaborative that highlights law enforcement diversion models to address the opioid crisis, such as self-referrals to treatment with police departments as entry points, active outreach, overdose education and…

This is an academic paper that discusses the feasibility of using a smartphone app to increase the response to opioid overdoses. Volunteers can signal an apparent overdose to other volunteers using the app to expand access and availability to naloxone. The first naloxone dose was provided by a…

This report details the lived experiences of individuals with an Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) in order to give a better understanding of the barriers to treatment that exist within Massachusetts. A few of the barriers discussed in the report include racially inequitable access to treatment, lack of…

This is an issue brief from the Network of Public Health Law that provides an overview of naloxone access and Good Samaritan laws. There is a table that shows the legal status of these laws for each state. Laws that encourage the prescription and use of naloxone and the timely seeking of…

This is a website that provides summary documents on how pharmacists are responding to the opioid crisis, including preventing opioid misuse, increasing access to medications of opioid use disorder, and providing harm reduction services. These documents describe success stories as well as…

This report from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH)  summarizes the lessons learned from the Rural Opioid Overdose Reversal (ROOR) Program.

The program funded 18 awardees to develop community partnerships in an effort to combat the opioid crisis at the…

This is a report supported by the CDC which provides an overview of relevant legal, health, and equity considerations in collecting, using, and sharing overdose related data. Relevant resources are included throughout the document. 

This is a report from the Urban Institute that provides an overview of the role Maine's Medicaid program is playing and could play in addressing Maine’s opioid crisis and substance use disorders (SUDs) more broadly, in the context of the recent expansion of Medicaid.

This analysis…

This report describes findings from the first nationwide survey of persons in recovery from drug and alcohol problems about their experiences in active addiction and in recovery. It documents how recovery dramatically increases life satisfaction and community well-being, thus highlighting the…

This report displays how geography and health insurance coverage rather than medical need, determine a patient's access to opioid treatment programs (OTP). These OTPs are the only healthcare facilities that provide all three forms of medication for opioid use disorder, however the report…

This report outlines how to maximize opportunities for linkage to care already present in our current healthcare system. These recommendations offer guidance on how to develop and implement effective linkage to care strategies for healthcare professionals and other community leaders in public…

This systematic review characterizes the existing experimental, quasi-experimental, single- and multi-group prospective and retrospective, and cross-sectional research on peer recovery support services.

Findings to date tentatively speak to the potential of peer supports across a number…

This report from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) summarizes the results of an environmental scan of 198 local health departments (LHD) regarding their local opioid overdose prevention and response activities.

This document outlines and compares…

This is an academic paper that uses a survey of county governments to determine what opioid policy and programmatic activities local governments are implementing and which activities are more challenging to implement. Having police officers carry naloxone and establishing a task force of…

This is a report which discusses the current barriers to OUD treatment as well as the low threshold approach, the evidence of its effectiveness, and possible future areas for research. The low threshold approach described in this report include a push for same day treatment entry and medication…

This article provides commentary from the Surgeon General on the need to expand syringe service programs (SSP) to address the opioid crisis, including a good summary of the evidence and return on investment for SSPs. 

This is an academic paper that summarizes the evidence on using medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in adolescents, with a focus on buprenorphine and extended-release naltrexone. There is discussion on how to appropriately integrate MOUD into a primary care setting for youth.