Fact Sheet Do States and Counties Have Capacity to Treat Opioid Use Disorder?
Subtitle
Analyses for DC, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia
Marni Epstein, Lisa Clemans-Cope, Doug Wissoker
Display Date
Fact sheets

Drug overdose deaths have soared during the COVID-19 pandemic; an estimated 99,106 occurred in the 12 months ending March 2021. Strong evidence shows that medication treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is effective in reducing overdose deaths, with estimates showing 40 percent reductions in opioid overdose death within community programs. Yet medication treatment is in critically short supply in counties across the United States. Even if the treatment capacity was doubled, it would fill just between 7 and 28 percent of the need for treatment in the District of Columbia, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In this project, we analyzed opioid use disorder rates and OUD treatment needs and treatment capacity in DC and six states in the Bloomberg Opioid Initiative.

Research Areas Health and health care
Tags Health care delivery and payment
Policy Centers Health Policy Center Statistical Methods Group