To more effectively address known barriers to treatment for substance use disorder (SUD), policy researchers looked at feedback from 27 community-based programs serving predominantly people of color across the U.S. Beyond poverty and racism, providers describe challenges retaining staff with appropriate language and cultural skills as well as a complex patchwork of social skills. Released in November by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) the report calls for more research to understand how federal, state, and local policies and programs can maximize the strengths of communities of varied backgrounds, while also implementing evidence-based practices.
