“Not a monolith”: Type-specific MOUD awareness and rural willingness among direct service providers and clients.

Poster describing a study that examined type-specific medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) awareness (i.e., heard of) and referral willingness among CBO providers and clients. The data was acquired via cross-sectional survey of 13 Southern U.S. CBOs in FL, GA, LA, MS, and TN. Analysis revealed that compared with methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone awareness is lower for both providers and clients, though providers are more aware of all types of MOUD than clients. Additionally, providers report greater willingness to refer for buprenorphine and naltrexone than clients report willingness to be referred (especially for naltrexone).

This type of misalignment can hinder MOUD uptake, weaken provider-client linkage, and contribute to high overdose rates and limited provider and MOUD access in the South.

Related protocols: CTN-0082