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05-11-2024 | Opioids | REVIEW

Addressing Racial and Ethnic Inequities in Opioid Overdose Mortality: Strategies for Equitable Interventions and Structural Change

Authors: Fabiola Arbelo Cruz, Oluwole Jegede

Published in: Current Psychiatry Reports

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review synthetizes findings reflecting the increasing racial and ethnic inequities in opioid overdose mortality and emphasizes the necessity for tailored interventions as well as other policy-level and structural strategies to stem this trend.

Recent Findings

Factors contributing to inequities in overdose mortality include changes in drug supply, persistent social-structural vulnerabilities stemming from structural racism, and inequities in access to medication for opioid use disorder and harm reduction services. Key strategies to address these inequities include the cultural adaptation of evidence-based interventions within an equity-based framework, integrating social determinants of health into addiction treatment, centering anti-racism praxis in addiction research, diversifying the addiction workforce, and integrating structural competency as a tool to restructure education and inform practice.

Summary

Structural racism must be recognized as a key driver of inequities in substance use outcomes, and this understanding must be integrated into existing models of substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and research.
Footnotes
1
We have selected to use the term Latine in this article with the acknowledgment that it is a gender-inclusive term, refers to people with heritage from Latin America and not Spain, and is more accepted and used throughout the Spanish-speaking community. We also acknowledge that Latine people may identify more strongly with their nation of origin or other panethnic terms.
 
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Metadata
Title
Addressing Racial and Ethnic Inequities in Opioid Overdose Mortality: Strategies for Equitable Interventions and Structural Change
Authors
Fabiola Arbelo Cruz
Oluwole Jegede
Publication date
05-11-2024
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Psychiatry Reports
Print ISSN: 1523-3812
Electronic ISSN: 1535-1645
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-024-01556-7