A Rural Community's Perspective on the Causes of and Solutions to the Opioid Crisis in Southern Virginia: A Qualitative Study

Results of a study which provide insight into the perceptions, knowledge, and experiences of members of a southern Virginia rural community affected by the opioid crisis. Examines barriers and facilitators to treatment programs and offers recommendations for targeting populations at risk. Key findings from the focus groups included the importance of family dynamics and social networks as risk and resiliency factors, addressing hopelessness as a preventive strategy, the need for holistic approaches to treatment, childhood exposure resulting in intergenerational substance use, the needs of overburdened healthcare providers, the expansion of long-term rehabilitation programs, and the need for judicial reform towards those with opioid use disorder. This study shows that rural community stakeholders provide important perspectives that can be useful in solving the drug epidemic in their neighborhoods.