Disasters could disrupt care for opioid use disorder in most vulnerable communities
Published Date: 4/19/2022
Source: sciencedaily.com
The COVID-19 pandemic has spiked the overdose death rate from opioid use. For people who rely on medications (buprenorphine, methadone, and extended-release naltrexone) to treat opioid use disorders, the pandemic and such natural disasters as tornados, hurricanes, and wildfires can disrupt access to medications. And new research finds that the location of medication treatment services makes treatment interruption likely where those disruptions exist.