Veterans’ Health and Opioid Safety–Contexts, Risks, and Outreach Implications

Veterans have also advocated for the provision of different technological and philosophical approaches to assist them as civilians. For example, some veterans suggested that it is critical to address the stigma associated with seeking treatment and to provide treatment in nonjudgmental settings. Further, many advocated for expansion of short- and long-term maintenance therapies and increasing the availability of risk reduction services, such as the provision of naloxone and other low threshold interventions.

For those veterans who have difficulty giving up POs or other drugs completely due to comorbid conditions (eg, serious chronic pain, depression, PTSD, TBI, and dependence), the need to help reduce the stigma of treatment and the harms associated with drug misuse is great. A further insight we have developed while working with the veteran population is that community-based interagency collaboration can help veterans connect with other veterans and the services they need and to realize the potential for their voices to impact policies designed to assist them. Whether within the VA or elsewhere, primary care and mental health practitioners should urge their patients to take up broader networks of health-positive relationships. Indeed, strengthening partnerships between the VA, local health departments, and community-based groups may greatly benefit the larger veteran population.

Acknowledgements
This research was funded by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, R01 DA036754) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA, R01 AA020178).

Author disclosures
The authors report no actual or potential conflicts of interest with regard to this article.

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Federal Practitioner, Frontline Medical Communications Inc., the U.S. Government, any of its agencies, NIDA, NIAAA, or NDRI. This article may discuss unlabeled or investigational use of certain drugs. Please review complete prescribing information for specific drugs or drug combinations—including indications, contraindications, warnings, and adverse effects—before administering pharmacologic therapy to patients.