Groundbreaking Interactive Tool Provides Detailed Data on Local Recovery Ecosystems
This article is from our NORC Now newsletter. Subscribe today.
October 2022
Millions of individuals are estimated to have a substance use disorder, contributing to serious health, social, and economic consequences. For the first time, county-level information from all 50 states on the myriad factors and programs that affect and support people recovering from substance use disorders (a.k.a., recovery ecosystems) can be found in one place, the Recovery Ecosystem Index Map.
Developed for the Health Resources and Services Administration by NORC, East Tennessee State University, and the Fletcher Group, this free downloadable interactive mapping tool integrates a wealth of data from the nation’s 3,000+ counties. Users can choose map overlays and click on individual counties to access drug overdose mortality rates, socio-demographics, economic indicators, and other key elements that affect recovery, including the availability of treatment, transportation, and housing.
In the wake of a pandemic-triggered increase in substance use, this tool not only provides stakeholders with timely, instant access to data that can help them target recovery resources and interventions to those in greatest need, it allows for comparison across county and state lines. Researchers hope that the tool will generate a nationwide dialog among those who work at the county level about how to improve local recovery ecosystems.
This article is from our flagship newsletter, NORC Now. NORC Now keeps you informed of the full breadth of NORC’s work, the questions we help our clients answer, and the issues we help them address.