- Patricia Strach, Elizabeth Pérez-Chiqués, and Katie Zuber
- May 2020
- Focus-36-2b1
- Link to Focus-36-2b1 (PDF)
- Link to Focus-Plus-36-2 (PDF)
In an effort to help state and federal lawmakers understand the day-to-day realities of the opioid crisis, including the challenges of accessing services in remote rural communities, we are conducting an in-depth study of the opioid crisis in three communities in New York State: a rural county (Sullivan), a suburban county (Orange), and an urban county (Queens).
Takeaways:
- Despair is not killing rural Americans, easy access to opioids and lack of treatment is.
- Existing infrastructure to treat addiction is not located where the problem has hit hardest.
- Opioids have a broad effect on communities, including on foster care, schools, and the labor force.
- People in local communities often feel forgotten—they want their government officials to listen to them and understand the problems they are facing.
Categories
Health, Mental Health & Substance Abuse, Place, Spatial Mismatch
Tags
Cross-County Comparison, Qualitative Research, Rural, Substance Abuse (or Alcohol/Drug Abuse)