![]() ![]() Given the challenges of attending treatment even before the pandemic ( Green, Bratberg, & Finnell, 2020 Noa Krawczyk, Fingerhood, & Agus, 2020), people with OUD might experience compounded barriers when seeking or maintaining treatment during the pandemic. This is especially the case in the U.S., where methadone programs require daily or near-daily visits to licensed opioid treatment programs, and buprenorphine treatment often requires in-person initiation and frequent check-ins for drug screens or adjunct behavioral services. However, these medications have historically required frequent in-person attendance at clinics or pharmacies. Hundreds of thousands of people across the globe rely on medications for OUD (MOUD), including methadone, buprenorphine or extended-release naltrexone, which are highly protective against overdose Krawczyk et al. (2020), Larochelle et al. (2018), Leshner and Mancher (2019). Disruptions in the illicit drug supply, often coupled with increased social isolation and mental health distress, have already exacerbated rates of overdose in some areas ( McCann Pineo, & Schwartz, 2020 Slavova, Rock, Bush, Quesinberry ,& Walsh, 2020 Tyndall, 2020).Īs localities enforced lockdown periods, access to services and social networks was disrupted, and life shifted to remote environments, a major question became how this would affect access and retention in treatment for OUD for those who want it. ![]() Amidst an ongoing overdose crisis, people with OUD experience a range of co-occurring health and social vulnerabilities that place them at high risk of COVID-19 infection and subsequent health complications ( Volkow, 2020 Wakeman, Green, & Rich, 2020 Wang, Kaelber, Xu, & Volkow, 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic poses significant challenges to the well-being of people with opioid use disorder (OUD).
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