Traditional 12-step, abstinence based substance use disorder treatment programs have generally rejected the use of medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD). The Recovery Research Institute provides a plain-language summary of research that looked at whether it was possible to incorporate MAT into the treatment services offered by a leading 12-step oriented treatment facility.
This 4 minute video from Minnesota’s Flip the Script campaign features interviews with a physician and patient about how the decision to change the patient’s opioid prescription improved the patient’s quality of life and the provider’s relationship to his patients and his practice.
This website from Addiction Policy Forum provides a brief overview of the science of addiction. The web page includes a 4 minute video explaining the science of addiction for all audiences, and a link
This 11 minute video features the stories of individuals who achieved recovery from addiction through receiving medication-assisted treatment (MAT) while in jail. The video includes testimonials from patients as well as interviews with sheriff,s health care providers, and corrections staff and explains how the programs work in several California counties.
The Kaiser Family Foundation’s Covid-19 resources page includes data and information on federal and state responses to the public health emergency. The site has data and charts summarizing the following:
Distorted Perceptions is a public education campaign to counter stigma experienced by individuals with mental health or substance use disorder conditions.
The Bexar County, Texas Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) collaborative works to improve outcomes for mothers and infants affected by substance use disorder.
This website for the SAFE Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic) provides evidence-based information, resources, and speakers to help individuals and groups address addiction in their communities. The Project has special focus campaigns to work with SAFE Campuses, SAFE Communities, and SAFE Veterans.
Public health professionals frequently mention the 1998 tobacco settlement as an example of a lost opportunity to ensure that the settlement funds were used for public health purposes including tobacco use prevention and cessation programs. In many states, the settlement funds were used to fill state budget gaps and for other non-tobacco-related purposes and some public health officials are concerned that any funds recovered through opioid-related lawsuits may experience the same fate.
The Indian Health Services maternal health page contains information on caring for American Indian/Alaska Native women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. It includes links to culturally-specific guides for treating substance use disorder in pregnancy and neonatal abstinence syndrome.