Substance use disorders and the harms associated with these diseases are a serious, growing public health problem in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that drug overdose deaths increased over 20% in 2021, to total more than 100,000. Three-quarters of these deaths involved opioids.
Despite decades of research establishing methadone as a safe and effective treatment for opioid use disorder, opioid treatment programs (OTPs) remain the only health care facilities allowed to offer this medication.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government began allowing patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) to connect with their health care providers via telehealth (through the internet or phone) to receive buprenorphine—an FDA-approved medication proved to reduce overdose deaths.
Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) struggle to get effective care: Of 2 million Americans with the illness, only 26% receive treatment. Now, as the coronavirus pandemic presents an added strain on the U.S. health care system, it is creating greater hardships for those seeking OUD treatment.
More than 48 million people in the U.S. have a substance use disorder, but only a fraction of these individuals receive treatment that could help them on the path of recovery.
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America’s Opioid Crisis: Outpatient Treatment is Effective and Accessible
More than 2 million Americans suffer from opioid use disorder, but only about 25% of people receive any sort of care. For many, inpatient treatment often means leaving a job and loved ones behind to seek recovery.
Opioid-related overdose deaths and related harms continue to devastate communities across the country, and local resources—including emergency medical services, law enforcement, and health care providers—are under immense strain to respond.
