2020 SUD Recovery During a Crisis
Identifying Recovery Challenges and Opportunities in Southwest Virginia during the COVID-19 Pandemic
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.
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