Telehealth Capability Among Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facilities in Counties With High Versus Low COVID-19 Social Distancing.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the availability of telehealth services at substance use treatment facilities in the U.S. at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and determine whether telehealth is available at facilities in counties with the greatest amount of social distancing. METHODS: We merged county-level measures of social distancing through April 18, 2020 to detailed administrative data on substance use treatment facilities. We then calculated the number and share of treatment facilities that offered telehealth services by whether residents of the county social distanced or not. Finally, we estimated a logistic regression that predicted the offering of telehealth services using both county- and facility-level characteristics. RESULTS: Approximately 27% of substance use facilities in the U.S. reported telehealth availability at the outset of the pandemic. Treatment facilities in counties with a greater social distancing were less likely to possess telemedicine capability. Similarly, nonopioid treatment programs that offered buprenorphine or vivitrol in counties with a greater burden of COVID-19 were less likely to offer telemedicine when compared to similar facilities in counties with a lower burden of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Relatively few substance use treatment facilities offered telehealth services at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers and public health officials should do more to support facilities in offering telehealth services.

Treatment experience for opioid use disorder during COVID-19 in India: Learning from patients.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its containment strategies have presented unique challenges to India's healthcare infrastructure. While a national lockdown initially resulted in the closure of all licensed liquor shops, it also made healthcare facilities dedicated to the treatment of substance use disorders challenging to access. Addiction treatment services have been functioning at limited capacity with a lack of consensus on operating procedures. In this article, we present actual case scenarios where lockdown affected substance use and the treatment process, and discuss the policy implications and considerations for both.

COVID19 pandemic and people with opioid use disorder: innovation to reduce risk.

The Covid-19 pandemic is creating a vast and growing number of challenges for all. People with a history of opioid use disorder (OUD) also may be exposed to additional risks. Piedmont one of the areas most severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with large numbers of people infected and related mortality. In the region, specialists responsible for OUD care identified the risk that the existing care system exposed patients to. Teams designed and implemented innovation approaches to enable continuation of care and reduce the inherent system risk to patients with OUD.