Hosts Dr. Don Stader, MD, and Dr. Rachael Duncan, PharmD, sit down with Michael Meit, the co-director of Center for Rural Health Research and a research associate professor in the Department of Health Services Management and Policy to discuss his work in rural health research. Mike talks about how your zipcode should not determine your health outcomes and how the opioid epidemic became so dire in some rural communities, like many in Appalachian regions of Eastern Kentucky. Tune in to hear about how research into where regions are hit the hardest led to expansion of services to create robust recovery services ecosystems. Mike share two tools that can be used to locate the most impacted communities and the existing resources in all counties across the country.

Resources Discussed:

https://opioidmisusetool.norc.org/

Rural Recovery Ecosystem Index 

“Where you live shouldn’t determine if you live not how well you live.” Hosts Dr. Don Stader, MD, and Dr. Rachael Duncan, PharmD, sit down to discuss how aspects unique to rural areas contribute to health disparities compared to urban areas. From a more restricted access to speciality care and demographic trends to environmental conditions and legislation, rural areas face different barriers to care that manifest in different outcomes for patients. Tune in to learn how this affects rural population health in general, as well as with respect to the opioid epidemic. 

Hosts Dr. Don Stader, MD, and Dr. Rachael Duncan, PharmD, sit down to discuss the breadth of racial disparities that exist in health outcomes with respect to the opioid epidemic.

References:

Goedel WC, Shapiro A, Cerdá M, Tsai JW, Hadland SE, Marshall BDL. Association of Racial/Ethnic Segregation With Treatment Capacity for Opioid Use Disorder in Counties in the United States. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(4):e203711. Published 2020 Apr 1. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3711

Kilaru AS, Xiong A, Lowenstein M, et al. Incidence of Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Following Nonfatal Overdose in Commercially Insured Patients. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(5):e205852. Published 2020 May 1. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.5852

Lagisetty PA, Ross R, Bohnert A, Clay M, Maust DT. Buprenorphine Treatment Divide by Race/Ethnicity and Payment. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019;76(9):979–981. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.0876

Iowa Healthcare Collaborative presents the Compass Opioid Stewardship Expert Spotlight podcast in partnership with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Visit their website for more information on the Compass Opioid Stewardship Program