Opioid Use Disorder in Rural America

Overdose deaths have increased in both urban and rural counties, but rural communities continue to be disproportionately impacted. Approximately half of rural counties do not have a provider waivered to prescribe buprenorphine and there is extremely limited access to harm reduction services in rural communities. 

Join us on Thursday, September 8, 3-4 p.m. ET for a webinar exploring why rural areas have been so severely impacted by the overdose epidemic. We will discuss unique challenges, as well as opportunities to make demonstrable improvements engaging rural patients with opioid use disorder.

By attending this webinar, you will:

1. Define rurality and the impact of the overdose epidemic on rural communities.
2. Describe how the social determinants of health in rural areas increases the risk of drug use and overdose death.
3. Understand barriers to delivering evidence-based prevention and treatment services for individuals with opioid use disorder in rural areas.
4. Discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated overdose deaths and created new opportunities for service delivery in rural areas.