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2020 SUD Recovery During a Crisis

Identifying Recovery Challenges and Opportunities in Southwest Virginia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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The Project

This project, which is an extension of the 2019-2020 Recovery-to-Work Project, addressed the need to examine potential challenges and opportunities for substance use disorder (SUD) recovery in the New River Valley (NRV), Virginia, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Partnering with Bently Wood, a peer recovery specialist with the Peer 401 Center at New River Valley Community Services, we examined the available literature and conducted semi-structured interviews to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on SUD recovery.

The Purpose of the research was to:

  • Study effects of COVID-19 on recovery for persons with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs)
  • Compare the geographic impact of COVID-19 on individuals with SUDs in the NRV
  • And Examine how COVID-19 has affected drug-related hospital visits in the NRV, the effects of stigma on persons with SUD, the effectiveness of telehealth, and education and improvement opportunities

The Design of project consisted of:

  • A literature review on related substance use disorder issues, challenges, and interventions. 
  • Interviews with people affected by SUD during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Qualitative and quantitative data analysis of interview data.
  • Synthesis of data to report findings.
Methods

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