
- Vol 39, Issue 7
Opioid Treatment “Mismatch” Threatens Vulnerable Communities
Treatment deserts are adding fuel to the fire of the opioid crisis.
MEDICAL ECONOMICS
A “mismatch” between
Pandemics like
“In plain terms, we are not placing enough services in communities that are more vulnerable to disasters and pandemics,” Joudrey further explained. “If a disaster disrupts medication services, people living within these communities are less likely to receive treatment.”
This mismatch between community vulnerability during disaster and the availability of services was the worst for vulnerable suburban communities—a particularly unique finding, Joudrey added. “We also found that in rural communities, because the availability of services was just bad all around, there was no association between vulnerability and access to medications.”
The study compared treatment facility locations with residents’ social vulnerability across 32,434 zip codes in the United States. The social vulnerability index measured 4 issues: socioeconomic status, household composition and disabilities, racial and ethnic minority status and language, and housing type and transportation.
The investigators found that “zip codes with greater
In addition, almost 25% of the US continental population lives without access to the medications within a 30-minute drive. The study authors put it in perspective: “Drive times were significantly longer for methadone and extended-release naltrexone relative to dialysis centers, despite the prevalence of OUD being greater than that of ESKD [end-stage kidney disease],” the authors wrote, noting their results were consistent with the emerging literature on these “opioid treatment deserts.”1
Sadly, the study findings confirm what has been reported in recent natural disasters.
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The authors called for MOUD policy and delivery innovations “to address urban-rural inequities and better match the location of services to communities with greater social vulnerability to prevent inequities in opioid overdose deaths during future disasters.”1
References
1. Joudrey PJ, Kolak M, Lin Q, Paykin S, Anguiano V Jr, Wang EA.
2. Parry J. Disasters could disrupt care for opioid use disorder in most vulnerable communities. News release. Yale School of Medicine. April 19, 2022. Accessed April 27, 2022.
READ MORE:
Articles in this issue
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Love, Alzheimer Disease, and Medical Aid in Dyingabout 3 years ago
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy: The Great Divorce That Never Happenedabout 3 years ago
Methamphetamine-Associated Psychosis: What Should Clinicians Know?about 3 years ago
Caregiving: Walking the Personal and Professional Tightropeabout 3 years ago
The Not Deadabout 3 years ago
Behind Bars: An Insider’s Perspective on Correctional Psychiatryabout 3 years ago
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