YSPH EMD Seminar: “Responding to Drug Related Harms in Rural America – A Cautionary Tale from West Virginia”

The growth of illicit drug use in rural communities over the past two decades has been accompanied by steep increases in the incidence of drug-related harms including fatal overdoses, bloodborne infections like HIV and Hepatitis C, and serious bacterial infections like endocarditis. Evidence-based interventions exist to prevent each of these harms and the underlying substance use disorders that contribute to them; yet many rural communities have struggled to adopt and sustain these interventions. This presentation will use West Virginia as a case study for understanding some of the challenges faced by rural America at the intersection of science, policy, and substance use.