Black individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) are less likely to receive effective treatment and more likely to be incarcerated compared to White individuals. Despite this, research documenting racial disparities in healthcare use among people with SUD releasing from prison is limited.
The goal of this study from HIP Investigator Dr. Marguerite Burns was to: 1) assess racial disparities in Medicaid enrollment among individuals released from prison with a history of substance use; and 2) characterize racial disparities in outpatient service use, emergency department (ED) use, and receipt of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) among those who do enroll in Medicaid. The study found that Black adults with a history of substance use are significantly less likely than White adults to use non-emergency outpatient services after release from incarceration.
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