Abstract
Methadone for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) treatment is only dispensed at Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs). Little is known about the geographic variation in OTP availability and community characteristics associated with the availability across smaller geographic communities in the U.S. To (1) describe geographic distribution of OTPs and (2) examine OTP availability by community characteristics in the contiguous U.S. at Zip Code Area Tabulation (ZCTA) level. Logistic regression was used to examine community characteristics associated with OTP availability (N = 30,367). Chi-square and t-tests were conducted to examine statistically significant differences in OTP availability. Maps and descriptive statistics were used to examine geographic variation in OTP availability. Only 5% (1,417) of ZCTAs had at least one OTP for a total of 1,682 OTPs. Rural ZCTAs had 50% lower odds of having an OTP compared to urban ZCTAs [AOR 0.5; (95% CI: 0.41–0.60)]. ZCTAs in the lowest income quartile had higher odds of having an OTP compared to ZCTAs in the highest income quartile [AOR 3.4; (95% CI: 2.71–4.18)]. Further, ZCTAs with OTPs had a higher proportion of minority residents [Black: 17.5% vs. 7.2%; Hispanic: 19.2% vs. 9%] and a lower proportion of White residents [55.1% vs. 78.2%]. Nationally, OTPs are extremely scarce with notable regional and urban-rural disparities. Potential solutions to address these disparities are discussed.
Authors’ contributions
The authors responsibilities were as follows—SJ designed the study, conducted the statistical analysis, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. WZ, NW, and KS participated in the interpretation of the study results, critical revisions, and approval of the final version of the manuscript.
Disclosure statement
The authors report no conflicts of interest and have no financial interests to disclose.
Data availability statement
The data that support the findings of this study is available from the corresponding author, [SJ], upon reasonable request.