Rural Appalachia Battling the Intersection of Two Crises: COVID-19 and Substance-Use Disorders

Margaret Miller; Rebekah Rollston; Kate Beatty; Michael Meit

doi:10.13023/jah.0204.10

Rural Appalachia Battling the Intersection of Two Crises: COVID-19 and Substance-Use Disorders

J Appalach Health. 2020 Sep 1;2(4):86-91. doi: 10.13023/jah.0204.10. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Margaret Miller¹, Rebekah Rollston², Kate Beatty³, Michael Meit³

Affiliations

¹ American Academy of Family Physicians.
² Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School.
³ East Tennessee State University.

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, rural Appalachia is at great risk of unforeseen side effects including increased mortality from substance use disorders (SUDs). People living with SUDs are at increased risk for both exposure to and poor outcomes from COVID infection. The economic impacts of COVID-19 must also be considered. As rural Appalachia combats the substance use crisis amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the geographic economic, health and social inequities within our region must be considered. As a national recovery is sought, we should reimagine federal policies that center the economic and public health of rural Appalachia addressing the two crises.

Keywords: Appalachia; COVID-19; health disparities; substance use disorders.