This report looks at state and federal laws and policies that encourage braided funding to provide substance use disorder services, best practices for braiding funds, and pathways to sustainability for substance use disorder programs.

This new consumer guide offers people with past or current problematic substance use a straightforward exploration of the roles, values, and work environments of professional peer specialists. This guide is a comprehensive resource that will help readers understand who professional peer specialists are, what they do in various work settings, and how to access and pay for their services. Through visual aids illustrating the integration of peer specialists into the treatment and recovery landscape and practical forms readers can fill out, this consumer guide will help facilitate a strong start toward collaboration with a peer specialist.

The Advisory outlines the principles and components of low barrier care, and how low barrier care may be leveraged to overcome substantial gaps in access, while also engaging individuals in treatment.

An analysis of final 2021 DAWN data presents: (1) nationally representative weighted estimates, including percent and unadjusted rates per 100,000, for all drug-related emergency department (ED) visits, (2) nationally representative weighted estimates for the top five drugs in drug-related ED visits, (3) the assessment of monthly trends and drugs involved in polysubstance ED visits in a subset of sentinel hospitals, and (4) the identification of drugs new to DAWN’s Drug Reference Vocabulary.

This advisory discusses the role of peer support workers and models of peer support services that are available to assist individuals who are experiencing a crisis. Peer support services are a vital component of crisis care.