Dataset for Medication Availability at Providers of Substance use disorder treatment in North Carolina (MAPS-NC)

Opioid-agonist medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are evidence-based treatments and the current gold standard of care for people living with opioid use disorder (OUD). Opioid agonist MOUD also protect against opioid overdose, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,500 North Carolinians in 2021. With overdose deaths reaching record numbers each year, ensuring that North Carolinians have sufficient access to MOUD is more important than ever. Despite this, many well-known treatment providers in North Carolina refuse to provide participants in their therapeutic programs with access to MOUD for philosophical and/or logistical reasons. Even though they do not offer evidence-based care, some of those providers enjoy significant financial support from the state. We will also conduct outreach to all 49 recognized Adult Drug Treatment Court programs in North Carolina to determine policies governing the provision or use of MOUD among court participants. The findings from this study will identify current treatment gaps across the state of North Carolina, characterize the actual treatment capacity for addressing opioid use disorder within the state, and offer much needed guidance to policy-makers at the state and county levels as they prepare to allocate funds soon to be received from the global opioid settlement.