Lead: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Geographic Availability of Buprenorphine This Week in Addiction Medicine from ASAM

Lead Story:
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Geographic Availability of Buprenorphine
Journal of Addiction Medicine
To identify whether buprenorphine availability equitably meets the needs of diverse populations, this study examined the differential geographic availability of buprenorphine in areas with greater concentrations of racial and ethnic minority groups. There were 45% to 55% fewer prescribers in urban areas and 62% to 79% fewer prescribers in rural areas as minority composition increased. Differences in dispensed buprenorphine per capita were similar but larger in magnitude. Achieving more equitable buprenorphine access requires not only increasing the number of buprenorphine-prescribing clinicians; in urban areas with higher racial and ethnic minority group populations, it also requires efforts to promote greater buprenorphine prescribing among already prescribing clinicians.
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