Identifying bright spot communities: Socioecological, workforce, and healthcare delivery factors influencing opioid mortality

• Published in: Annals of family medicine 2022-04, Vol.20 (20 Suppl 1)
• Main Authors: Britz, Jacqueline, Krist, Alex, Chapman, Derek, Moeller, Frederick, Bethune, Christine, Sabo, Roy, Harrell, Ashley, Lowe, Jason, Richards, Alicia, Saunders, Heather, Woolf, Steven
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Analgesics, Opioid - therapeutic use; Behavioral, Psychosocial, and Mental Illness; Buprenorphine - therapeutic use; Delivery of Health Care; Drug Overdose - epidemiology; Humans; Medicare; Opiate Overdose; Opioid-Related Disorders - drug therapy; United States - epidemiology; Workforce
• ISSN: 1544-1709; 1544-1717
• DOI: 10.1370/afm.20.s1.2949

There were 50,000 U.S. opioid overdose deaths in 2019. Millions suffer from opioid addiction. Identifying protective factors for low community opioid mortality may have important implications for addressing the opioid epidemic. This study was funded through the Virginia (VA) Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) through a SUPPORT Act Grant. To identify "Bright Spot" communities in Virginia with protective factors associated with reduced opioid mortality and morbidity. Ecologic study. Virginia All Payer Claims Database (APCD), Virginia Department of Health (VDH) statewide medical examiner registry, and American Community Survey (ACS). 2016-2019; 2019 data cited here. APCD includes VA residents with medical claims through commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare coverage. VDH data includes fatal drug overdoses. ACS surveys all VA residents. Primary outcome: fatal opioid overdoses. Secondary outcomes: emergency room visits for overdoses and opioid-related diagnoses, outpatient diagnoses for opioid-related disorder, prescription rate for opioids, and prescription rate for buprenorphine. Opioid mortality was associated with higher rates of community poverty (r=.38, p