This is an academic paper that provides an overview of the trajectory of the opioid crisis through the lens of a structural and social determinants of health framework. Having an understanding of the root causes of the opioid crisis, such as upstream structural factors, can inform comprehensive interventions to a complex public health emergency. 

A toolkit by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) provides local, state, and national resources for local health departments to better address the opioid crisis. The toolkit is divided into sections: monitoring and surveillance, prevention, harm reduction, linkage to care, and stakeholders/partnerships. 

This is an academic paper that shows that the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated the opioid crisis in San Francisco. Emergency departments saw approximately 2.5 patients per day with opioid overdose compared with 1.4 patients per day prior to this period, and 8, there were 1.47 deaths per day due to overdose compared with 0.95 deaths per day prior to this period

This is report recognizing that community pharmacists are uniquely poised to engage in efforts to reduce opioid misuse and opioid related overdose. It provides guidance to pharmacist on screening for potential opioid misuse, dispensing medications for opioid use disorder, and providing access to naloxone.

This website was developed by the National Association of Counties and empowers local leaders to invest resources from opioid settlements into effective treatment, recovery, prevention, and other public health practices. 

This is a peer-reviewed paper in Nature providing an overview of opioid use disorder (OUD) and is written by a group comprised of many leading experts in the field. The paper discusses the epidemiology of OUD, especially as it relates to risk factors and burden. Next, the neuroscience and pathophysiology of OUD are discussed. The last half of the paper provides the evidence on strategies for prevention, early intervention, and treatment for OUD. 

The study conducted by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine targeted students in their medicine clerkship and assessed their motivational interviewing skills, harm reduction knowledge, and use of de-stigmatizing language towards a panel of opioid use disorder patients. Their skills were assessed before and after a case-based activity curriculum and indicated that each tested skill improved after implementation of the module. 

This is a toolkit from the Opioid Response Network that is designed to assist faith-based leaders in responding to the opioid crisis. It provides current information, resources, and action steps to support faith-based leaders in meeting the needs of their members and communities related to the opioid crisis and opioid use disorder. 

Gleaned from structured interviews with representatives from 185 jails across the US, this report describes 10 best practices on screening justice-involved individuals for opioid use disorder, providing medications for OUD (MOUD), educating them on overdose prevention and treatment options, and facilitating linkages to care. Such practices can mitigate the elevated risk for opioid overdose that such individuals have on release from jail or prison.

This is a report from the National League of Cities which discusses several examples of interventions addressing the opioid crisis at the city and state level. Opportunities — through the use of Medicaid, federal grants, and other resources — are highlighted to expand those efforts

This is a report done by the U.S Government Accountability Office which gives an overview of how State Opioid Response (SOR) grants are used, examines how SAMHSA assesses SOR grants, and makes recommendations to SAMHSA on continuing to monitor and analyze program information in order to make improvements. 

This is a white paper from the Office of Women's Health that was developed by conducting a review of the literature focused on topics around opioid use disorders and women, as well as consulting with subject matter experts. This report begins by providing an overview of the opioid epidemic and what it means for women. Issues of prevention and treatment are then explored, all with the lens of the unique or pronounced needs of women. The paper concludes with a resource section with links to key information.