This study sought to understand important changes in co-occurring opioid and nonopioid drug use (i.e., polysubstance use) within the opioid crisis in the United States. Past-month use of at least 1 nonopioid drug occurred in nearly all participants (> 90%) in this study.

This paper emphasizes that viewing opioid trends in a “silo” ignores the fact that polysubstance use is ubiquitous among those with opioid use disorder and that significant changes in polysubstance use should be monitored alongside opioid trends.

This is a toolkit developed by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services which gives communities strategies on how to establish a post overdose response team. This includes providing harm reduction strategies, naloxone, overdose prevention training, and overall ways to reduce overdose mortality. The toolkit provides four specific phases which explain how to design and implement the program and also make improvements. 

This toolkit offers guidance for primary care providers on how to integrate buprenorphine prescribing into their practices. The toolkit provides tips and practical steps for planning and implementing this treatment, as well as the general responsibilities and activities of prescribers for patients diagnosed with opioid use disorder. 

These are new guidelines issued by Health and Human Services that gives an exemption from certain statutory certification requirements for prescribing buprenorphine among physicians and non-physicians, thus relaxing waiver requirements and  increasing access to buprenorphine. 

This is an academic paper that gives an overview of best practices for buprenorphine dosing, follow-up care, and reducing implementation barriers in the emergency department. Different models are discussed, such as "hub and spoke" and "warm handoff" models. 

This is a federally-funded website from a collaboration of academic institutions that provides information on state laws relevant to the opioid crisis including laws on opioid prescribing, medications for opioid use disorder, naloxone, and syringe service programs.  

This is an academic paper that gives an overview of the regulations that were relaxed to increase access and engagement in medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) during the coronavirus pandemic, and the possibility for these new regulations to remain after the pandemic is over. 

This study surveyed US adults about the prevalence of alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems, whether they were resolved, and if so by what means, including assisted (treatment, medication) and unassisted resolution pathways.

The paper found that tens of millions of Americans have successfully resolved an AOD problem using a variety of traditional and non-traditional means. Its findings suggest a need for a broadening of the menu of self-change and community-based options that can facilitate and support long-term AOD problem resolution.

This is a report published by the Native Center for Behavioral Health and is supported by SAMHSA. It summarizes how Native American communities in several states implemented medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder initiatives while maintaining their culturally informed practices. Several success stories are highlighted. 

This is a report for primary care providers on what they can do to address the opioid crisis and what treatment options are available depending on the patient’s willingness to engage in treatment. It also summarizes literature on SBIRT and opioid use disorder (OUD) and, more generally, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment in primary care.

This is a paper that reviews many of the different program models that have integrated medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) with primary care. There is a table that provides a good overview of practice-based and systems-based models along with linkages in both the academic and gray literature for each model.

This paper emphasizes that greater integration of MOUD in primary care settings is one way to expand access to effective treatment for opioid use disorder. 

This is a website from Johns Hopkins University on how to use principles to guide states, counties, and local communities on how to most effectively and efficiently abate the opioid crisis with opioid settlement money.