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Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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White Paper/Brief
This article discusses the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) distribution of $1.3 million in grants to organizations studying the potential permanent adoption of COVID-19 care access measures to promote health equity in opioid use disorder treatment. The grants aim to investigate the impact of temporary policies, such as virtual care, on access to care and patient outcomes. The studies will explore how relaxed prescribing policies for buprenorphine, telehealth strategies, and other COVID-19 measures have affected patient access and outcomes, particularly among underserved populations. The research will inform evidence-based policies to sustain access to better care beyond the pandemic and address the ongoing opioid crisis.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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Peer Review Study
This article conducts a retrospective case-control study of electronic health records of individuals who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and have a recent diagnosis of substance use disorder (SUD). The results show that those diagnosed with SUD, particularly African Americans and those with opioid use disorder (OUD), are more likely to contract COVID-19, as well as suffer worsening outcomes such as hospitalization and mortality due to COVID-19. This article shows that an increase in SUD screening could be a factor in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in this community.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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Peer Review Study
The authors describe the impact that COVID-19 has had on geographically disparate populations in the United States and share our recommendations on what might be done to ameliorate the current situation.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
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Peer Review Study
This study describes harm reduction and health services provided by the U.S. syringe services programs (SSPs) in 2019 and changes in provision of those services in 2020. Many SSPs that offered health services in 2019 and remained operational in 2020 increased telehealth provision of mental health and primary care services, increased MOUD provision, and expanded harm reduction services, but most SSPs reduced or stopped on-site HIV and HCV testing. With the record high opioid overdose fatality rates in 2020, sustaining the trajectory of SSP growth and innovation leading up to and through 2020 requires ensuring adequate and flexible funding to support the life-saving work of SSPs in preventing future overdose deaths and outbreaks of HIV and HCV.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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Summary Report/Recommendations
This article discusses the preliminary data regarding Syringe Services Program (SSP) operational and service delivery changes during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and provides key policy and service provision implications for SSPs. There is an emphasis on the distribution of services provided at SSPs and highlights the need for SSP support in providing education, prevention, and strategies to avoid emerging infectious disease outbreaks.
Novel Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and are in the process of generating evidence of effectiveness or may not yet be tested.
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Peer Review Study
This commentary describes the challenges faced by rural communities in addressing COVID-19, with a focus on the issues faced by southeastern US states. It also addresses how the COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index (CCVI) may be used as a tool to identify communities at heightened risk for COVID-19 on the basis of 6 clearly defined indicators. The CCVI can help decision makers target resources where they are most needed. Stakeholders, including hospitals, health care centers, insurance providers, policy makers, community-based organizations, and faith-based organizations, should be included in planning and enlisted to help reach disadvantaged and marginalized communities. The coordination would be valuable in planning emergency response, identifying areas of greatest needs, developing culturally appropriate messaging, and disseminating information throughout the community.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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Peer Review Study, Systematic Review/Meta-Analysis
The authors conducted a systematic review to understand disparities in H1N1 vaccine uptake by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, rural/urban residence, population density, and disability status, and factors associated with unequal uptake, as well as the benefits and harms of interventions designed to attenuate inequities in H1N1 vaccine uptake—in an effort to address potential disparities in COVID-19 vaccine access and uptake.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
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Data Collection Tool
The Mapping Medicare Disparities (MMD) Population View provides a user-friendly way to explore and better understand disparities in chronic diseases, and allows users to: (1) visualize health outcome measures at a national, state, or county level; (2) explore health outcome measures by age, sex, race and ethnicity; (3) compare differences between two geographic locations (e.g., benchmark against the national average); and (4) compare differences between two racial and ethnic groups within the same geographic area.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
RELEASE DATE:
Peer Review Study
The purpose of this study was to provide healthcare decision-makers in North Carolina with information about the available health workforce in order to conduct workforce surge planning and to anticipate concerns about professional or geographic workforce shortages. Descriptive and cartographic analyses were conducted using licensure data to assess the supply of respiratory therapists, nurses, and critical care physicians. Licensure data were merged with population data and numbers of intensive care unit beds. Higher concentrations of healthcare workers were observed in urban areas. Critical care physicians were primarily based in areas with academic health centers.
Novel Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and are in the process of generating evidence of effectiveness or may not yet be tested.
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Summary Report/Recommendations
This article includes commentary for public health agencies, the healthcare community, and professional schools to develop an approach to allocate the COVID-19 vaccine in a way that does not rely on health information technology as the predominant means to vaccine access. The authors notes that doing so will provide better access to medical care during the ongoing pandemic and perhaps carve out a new model that improves healthcare access after we conquer COVID-19.