Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Initiative

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.

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.

Opioid-related overdose deaths have devastated communities throughout the country. But fatalities related to psychostimulant drugs—which increase activity in the body’s central nervous system—are increasing, and complicating efforts to curb the nation’s overdose crisis.

More than 2 million Americans struggle with opioid use disorder (OUD), a chronic relapsing medical condition, but access to medication-assisted treatment remains limited. Buprenorphine helps alleviate painful symptoms associated with the disorder. But few clinicians prescribe the drug.