This brief reviews activities undertaken by states to expand the use of telehealth for justice-involved individuals with SUDs during the COVID-19 pandemic, share lessons learned, and highlight considerations for governors who wish to leverage telehealth services to increase access to SUD treatment for those involved in the justice system.

Article explores challenges and strategies for implementing the 988 crisis line in rural areas, including Alabama and Mississippi, to improve mental health crisis response.

Rural cities use arts and civic engagement to address mental health, raise awareness, and foster creative solutions to local challenges.

The Principles for the Use of Funds From the Opioid Litigation are nationally recognized guidance for states, counties and cities receiving money from the lawsuits against entities that contributed to the opioid epidemic. Coordinated by faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Johns Hopkins), the Principles are designed to help governments of all levels lay the foundation to effectively invest opioid settlement funds to save lives from overdose.

A suicide/overdose fatality review (S/OFR) can impact community change and policies. Having the right participants at the S/OFR is critical to positive community engagement. Bringing together cross-sectors of a rural community to create change can bring remarkable success and significant challenges! Protecting our children and future community leaders is a great reason to work toward a solution and put bias aside. In 2019, the Jay County, Indiana, community developed an S/OFR. In 2020, it reviewed its first decedent.

Brief recommends expanding MOUD access for pregnant/parenting people in rural areas, using telehealth, mobile clinics, and family-centered approaches to keep families together.

Mental Health First Aid for Rural Communities teaches people how to notice and respond to signs of mental health and addiction challenges with a specific focus on the cultural and environmental factors related to life in rural areas. Mental Health First Aid is a course that teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis. 

Want to know how jurisdictions should prioritize programs for funding from the opioid litigation? This Primer on Spending Funds from the Opioid Litigation provides background information on each of the nine core abatement strategies including considerations for funding and implementation.

The “Funding Resources” section of A Guide to Funding Resources includes links to searchable databases offering funding opportunities from government and/or private sources available to local governments, community organizations, and individuals. It provides links to full text online guides and tips to assist grant writers prepare successful proposals. The reader may locate links to additional funding programs and information on the Rural Information Center (RIC) website. 

The goal of this series is to inform jurisdictions considering whether a mobile treatment program would work in their communities and to determine what type of model would fit best.  This article closes the series with some general takeaways and suggestions for law enforcement and public safety professionals who are interested in collaborating with a mobile treatment program in their community.

Rural communities across the country are identifying ways to effectively implement youth- and family-focused programs to better serve individuals directly affected by SUD. This brief is one in a series highlighting projects that are part of the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project.

Rural communities across the country are implementing solutions to these transportation challenges to better serve residents with SUD and make more efficient use of limited resources. This brief is one in a series highlighting projects that are part of the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project.

Rural communities across the country are coming up with innovative ways to respond to overdose spikes in their communities through community outreach and response teams, which make contact with individuals and families who have experienced overdose to offer support and connections to services and treatment. This brief is one in a series highlighting projects that are part of the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project.

Communities all over the country are implementing law enforcement- and first responder-led diversion efforts to redirect individuals with SUD, mental health disorders, and co-occurring disorders away from jail and the criminal justice system and into the care of community-based treatment programs. This brief is one in a series highlighting projects that are part of the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project.

To combat the rising numbers of individuals with SUD, jails across the country have begun implementing jail-based programming to help incarcerated individuals as they seek recovery, reduce recidivism, and reduce the chances of overdose upon release. This brief is one in a series highlighting projects that are part of the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project.

Rural communities across the country are implementing harm-reduction programs to better serve residents with substance use disorder (SUD) and make more efficient use of limited resources. This brief is one in a series highlighting projects that are part of the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project.

Rural communities in all areas of the country are reaching out to their churches and faith-based organizations to bring them on as important partners and expand upon their outreach initiatives, as well as utilize the built-in resources many churches have, such as food pantries, clothing drives, and childcare services. This brief is one in a series highlighting projects that are part of the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project.

Rural communities across the country are identifying ways to effectively partner with their local business community to better serve residents with substance use disorder (SUD) and make more efficient use of limited resources. This brief is one in a series highlighting projects that are part of the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project.

This action brief provides rural communities recommended strategies for adapting promising or proven interventions to better support crisis response and pre-arrest diversion in their communities. It is the first of three briefs developed from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Prearrest Diversion Expert Panel.

This guide provides evidence-based policing practices (EBPP) for small, rural, and tribal agencies. The information comes from published research studies and working group conversations with command staff from various small, rural, and tribal agencies

The goal of this series is to inform jurisdictions considering whether a mobile treatment program would work in their communities and to determine what type of model would fit best.  The first program in this article is the Eastern Shore Mobile Care Collaborative (ESMCC) at Caroline County Health Department in Maryland. The second is the Mobile Health Services program implemented by the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health (OBH).

Rural communities face unique challenges in responding to incidences of domestic violence, due to geographic isolation and a lack of resources, among other factors. Such challenges make it difficult for survivors in rural areas to seek safety. These 10 practices for criminal courts in rural communities offer strategies to protect survivors’ safety and well-being, engage with abusive partners and hold them accountable, and collaborate within the community.

This guide was created for community leaders and other local entities to help them access resources to create jobs, train talent, expand educational opportunities and provide technical assistance. The guide outlines programs and services available at USDA and other federal departments and agencies that support workforce development in rural communities. Included is a rural workforce resource guide matrix and a comprehensive list of other federal and federally supported programs, including the Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO) program.  

The goal of this series is to inform jurisdictions considering whether a mobile treatment program would work in their communities and to determine what type of model would fit best.  The two mobile models featured in this article are an induction-only program that prescribes Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) and a methadone delivery program that was created because of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Communities nationwide are grappling with a growing opioid crisis, particularly in the Appalachian region, where overdose death rates were 72% higher in 2017 than in non-Appalachian areas. Local leaders have struggled to address rising addiction and overdoses, prompting this report to analyze the epidemic's impact and offer targeted recommendations in five areas: leadership, prevention, recovery, rehabilitation for justice-involved individuals, and economic development, each supported by case studies from Appalachian counties.

Information on barriers to treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in rural areas and what some states are doing to overcome those barriers.

ONDCP has identified 26 overarching categories to organize this resource guide and help users identify potential sources of assistance for issues they find most challenging. This list is not exhaustive: many of the programs and resources listed in these pages cover a much broader range of potential uses.

Collaboration between state and tribal courts regarding the opioid crisis.

Information on barriers to treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in rural areas and what some states are doing to overcome those barriers.

Document designed and recommended for use in jurisdictions where state court judges – especially those who preside over adult drug court programs – operate in proximity to the location of a Tribal Healing to Wellness Court.

This infographic visually displays the tools that USDA Rural Development can offer to help rural America respond to the opioid epidemic.