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AHRQ: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Substance Use Tools & Resources   

Read the Guide

This collection of tools and resources is for providers, staff, and patients who offer or use services to address substance use, and other interested stakeholders. This collection was originally established following an environmental scan on implementing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural primary care. (See PDFs of Volume 1 [PDF 0.69 MB] and Volume 2 [PDF 1.28 MB] of that scan). Items have been continuously added to this collection since then, and the collection has expanded to cover substance use more broadly, rather than just MAT for OUD.

Displaying 1 - 10 of 163

2025 National Guidelines for a Behavioral Health Coordinated System of Crisis Care

This new publication provides guidance and highlight effective practices for crisis care services across the country. SAMHSA has identified the essential elements for an effective crisis continuum such that everyone in the nation has a robust system that meets their needs, one that includes “someone to contact, someone to respond, and a safe place for help.”

Format
Guide
Audience
Behavioral Health Providers
Medical Providers
Other Team Members
Policymakers and Payers
Source
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Year
Resource Type
PDF
File Size
1596 KB

Behavioral Health Care Access Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) Populations

The Behavioral Health Care Access Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) Populations report highlights findings from the 2023 SAMHSA publication Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Behavioral Health: Results from the 2021 and 2022 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health on the elevated rates of substance use, suicidality, and mental illness among LGB individuals compared to straight individuals.
Format
Report/Paper/Issue Brief
Audience
Behavioral Health Providers
Medical Providers
Other Team Members
Source
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Year
Resource Type
PDF
File Size
4.2 MB

Combatting Stigma with Knowledge

This blog post discusses substance use disorders and their associated stigma. It highlights how improved knowledge about substance use disorders can combat stigma.
Format
Web Page
Audience
Communities
Behavioral Health Providers
Medical Providers
Source
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Year
Resource Type
Web Page

Community Opioid Overdose Reversal Medications (OORMs) Planning Toolkit

This comprehensive resource is designed to help communities expand access to lifesaving medications like naloxone to reduce overdose fatalities. The toolkit provides actionable guidance for community leaders, public health professionals, and other partners to create effective overdose prevention and response strategies to improve local overdose reduction outcomes.
Format
Guide
Audience
Communities
Other Team Members
Source
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Year
Resource Type
PDF
File Size
21.9 MB

From Pain Relief to Risk: A Case of Suspected Opioid Overdose in a Pediatric Patient

This blog post presents a case study of a pediatric patient who died by opioid overdose and provides commentary on the case and highlights ways to improve patient safety.
Format
Other
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Other Team Members
Families
Source
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Year
Resource Type
PDF
File Size
40.1 KB

Guide to Long-acting Medications

The guide urges all community mental health and substance use treatment clinicians to provide long-acting medications as a first-line treatment option.
Format
Guide
Audience
Medical Providers
Behavioral Health Providers
Communities
Families
Source
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Year
Resource Type
PDF
File Size
3.1 MB