Diversion of medications to treat opioid use disorder: Qualitative findings from formerly incarcerated adults in Massachusetts

Carceral officials often cite diversion of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) (e.g., buprenorphine) as a reason for not offering MOUD treatment in jails and prisons with little understanding of patient perspectives. We aimed to understand patient perceptions of medication diversion from jail-based MOUD programs and the factors that contribute to and reduce diversion. We…

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Endorsement of COVID-19 misinformation among criminal-legal involved individuals in the US

Criminal legal system involvement (CLI) is a critical social determinant of health that lies at the intersection of multiple sources of health disparities. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates many of these disparities, and specific vulnerabilities faced by the CLI population. This study investigated the prevalence of COVID-19-related misinformation, as well as its relationship with COVID-19 information…

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Linkage facilitation services for OUD: Taxonomy of facilitation practitioners, goals, and activities

This article proposes a taxonomy of linkage facilitation services used to help persons with OUD access treatment and recovery resources. Linkage facilitation may be especially valuable for persons receiving MOUD given the considerable barriers to treatment access and initiation that have been identified. This article presents a taxonomy derived from expert consensus that organizes the…

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An Evaluation of the User Experience and Privacy Concerns of Individuals Misusing Opioids Using a Location Tracking Mobile Application

New forms of data, including location data, may improve the effectiveness of interventions for preventing and treating OUD, increase access to treatment, and address racial and ethnic disparities. This qualitative study aimed to identify factors that contribute to users’ experience with a publicly available location-tracking mobile app, and investigate their privacy and ethical concerns. The…

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Integrated Care Models: HIV and Substance Use

Behaviors and practices associated with substance use contribute to lack of HIV virologic suppression and onward transmission. In the USA, many recent HIV outbreaks have been connected with substance use. Evidence-based strategies for integrating care of those at risk for and living with HIV and who use substances continue to evolve. This review, based on…

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Associations between partisan media consumption, opioid use disorder stigma, and opioid policy support: An exploration of the media’s role in the ongoing opioid epidemic

We report on a preliminary investigation into the relationship between partisan media consumption (PMC) among U.S. adults and their (1) opioid use disorder (OUD) stigma, (2) national OUD policy support (e.g., Medicaid coverage for OUD treatment), (3) local OUD policy support (e.g., safe injection sites), (4) discriminatory OUD policies (e.g., denying housing), and (5) carceral…

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Identifying and treating incarcerated women experiencing SUDs: A review

While research on substance use disorder (SUD) treatment among justice-involved populations has grown in recent years, the majority of corrections-based SUD studies have predominantly included incarcerated men or men on community supervision. This review 1) highlights special considerations for incarcerated women that may serve as facilitating factors or barriers to SUD treatment; 2) describes selected…

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Network canvas: an open-source tool for capturing social and contact network data

Social influence and contact networks are extremely important for understanding health behaviour and the spread of disease. Yet, most traditional software tools are not optimized to capture these data, making measurement of personal networks challenging. This paper describes Network Canvas, open source and freely available software designed to provide an end-to-end workflow with intuitive interfaces…

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