Opioid Harm Reduction Strategies for Age-Friendly Rural Communities

Abstract

Background: Over 10, 000 overdose deaths have been attributed to opioid misuse, with numbers increasing exponentially as the exposure to fentanyl increases. Urban centers and rural communities continue to feel the impact of the opioid crisis in our nation with these increases and community exposure to more lethal forms of synthetic opioids as well. The Rural Opioid Technical Assistance (ROTA) grants have been designed by the Substance (SAMHSA) to build upon the nation’s efforts to stem the tide of fatalities related to opioid misuse and overdosing. Purpose: Under the ROTA grant, administered by Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) Extension and Florida State University (FSU) between 2020-2022, ten age-friendly rural counties were identified to implement programming that assists with opioid use disorder (OUD) and provide high-quality training for the targeted communities [1]. Technical assistance trainings were conducted in these areas with county leaders, clergy, schools, and other child serving agencies. The trainings and workshops were designed to meet the needs of the participating residents and to encourage county leaders to advocate for more services and resources to help reduce the harm of opioid overdose fatalities. This review is designed to provide an overview of the parameters and dynamics of age-friendly rural communities and to summarize the resource, service, and harm reduction information shared in the ROTA trainings. Key words: Opioid use disorder (OUD); Rural Opioid Technical Assistance (ROTA) Grant