This is a toolkit from Wells Insurance to help employers understand and deal with the opioid crisis, create a healthier and more productive workforce, and reduce costs. An appendix includes educational materials, communications with employees, sample policies, and form templates. 

This academic paper outlines a study which utilized the Delphi approach to identify the best practices for overdose prevention and naloxone delivery (OEND). The investigators engaged with 27 experts on the topic of OEND who were asked to review and rank a given list of best practices. The results indicated that the practices given highest priority were increasing community based OEND programs with a focus on program quality. 

This is a website from the National Institute for Health Care Management that provides data on the fourth wave of the opioid crisis, polysubstance use involving opioids and stimulants, such as cocaine and methamphetamine. 

This is a toolkit that addresses stigma among moms and babies so that they can get the support that they need. Women with substance use disorders, along with other stigmatizing conditions (e.g. HIV, mental health diagnoses) are the targeted population. The toolkit describes what stigma is and provides many testimonies on how it manifests in society. 

This is a report from the Georgia Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health that uses the Building Community Resilience (BCR) framework to connect the science behind the "Pair of ACEs" to real-world health care practice and public policy. Adverse childhood experiences and adverse community environments (e.g. social determinants of health) make up the “Pair of ACEs.”

This is an academic paper that evaluates an intervention to buy back prescription opioids that were initially prescribed to patients in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System after surgery. Nearly 30% of patients returned unused prescription opioids and the resulting feedback provided to surgeons led them to adjust their opioid prescribing. Findings suggest that a buyback program may be successful in decreasing diversion of opioids in a rural community. 

This peer-reviewed article evaluates the PROSPER trial. PROSPER implemented school-based evidence-based prevention interventions for sixth graders in rural public school districts in Iowa and Pennsylvania. The findings showed that these strategies are effective in decreasing nonmedical prescription opioid use.

These CDC guidelines provide recommendations for primary care clinicians who are prescribing opioids for chronic pain outside of active cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care.

A two-page resource from the CDC on calculating total daily dose of opioids for safer dosage.

This paper investigates the challenges of addressing opioid use disorder in rural areas and gives five suggestions on how rural states and communities can use evidence based approaches to offer better solutions to individuals seeking treatment for opioid use disorder. These suggestions outline ways to connect clinicians with patients, expand access to treatment, and increase inclusivity of special populations. Examples of programs that have been implemented in the state of Maine are provided. 

This is a report from the California Health Care Foundation that explores the four components that California health plans have used to decrease opioid prescribing: engaging providers, working with high-risk members, addressing misuse, and supporting healthy communities.

Several specific health plans in California that significantly reduced opioid prescribing are highlighted within this document.

This report was generated through a legislative mandate by linking multiple data sets in Massachusetts. The aim was to better understand the opioid problem and those at most risk.

The prevalence of opioid use disorder, as well as nonfatal and fatal overdoses, are estimated and at-risk populations are identified. The results of this report are able to inform policy and stimulate research.