{"id":15129,"date":"2024-11-14T11:58:59","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T16:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=15129"},"modified":"2024-11-14T12:00:16","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T17:00:16","slug":"life-savers-a-new-way-to-address-the-opioid-overdose-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/fall-2024\/life-savers-a-new-way-to-address-the-opioid-overdose-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Life Savers: A New Way to Address the Opioid Overdose Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

LIFESAVERS<\/h1>

A NEW WAY TO ADDRESS THE OPIOID OVERDOSE CRISIS<\/p><\/div><\/div>

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CFRP staff members Anita Jacobson, Catherine Ahern, Tammy Whan, and Brad Thibodeaux receive a delivery of naloxone kits at Morrill Hall on 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Kingston Campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Led by 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s College of Pharmacy with support from the Rhode Island Department of Health, the Community First Responder Program distributes lifesaving naloxone kits and offers education about the opioid overdose epidemic where it\u2019s needed most. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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By Anna Vaccaro Gray \u201912, M.S. \u201916<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a typical Saturday morning at the South Kingstown Farmers Market. Stands feature fresh vegetables, coffee, honey, baked goods, flowers\u2014and naloxone. 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Community First Responder Program (CFRP) is at the market offering free medication that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose. The location is intentional: The CFRP aims to be as accessible\u2014and as much a fixture of the community\u2014as the local farm stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anita Jacobson, Pharm.D. \u201998, clinical professor of pharmacy and director of the CFRP, sets up tables at farmers markets and other community events, working with pharmacy and nursing students to educate community members about substance misuse, how to recognize an overdose, and how to administer naloxone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CFRP first started distributing the prefilled nasal sprays at farmers markets in the summer of 2020. Jacobson recalls that people stopping by the CFRP table would often mention that they didn\u2019t know anyone using drugs but wanted to be prepared just in case. Others would burst into tears, sharing stories of loved ones lost to overdoses. Still others talked about family members struggling with addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe heard every kind of story you can think of,\u201d she says, looking back to those early days of the CFRP. \u201cAnd we gave out tons of naloxone.\u201d Making space for these conversations while also providing a lifesaving medication exemplifies CFRP\u2019s mission: Remove the stigma associated with opioid misuse, keep people alive and healthy, and empower communities to proactively tackle this growing crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A LIFESAVING ANTIDOTE<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), opioid overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in Rhode Island. Last year, 404 Rhode Islanders died of an overdose, compared to 436 people in 2022. The rate of overdoses has been significant in recent years as the unregulated drug supply has become more lethal, largely due to illicitly manufactured contaminants such as fentanyl and drugs like xylazine, a veterinary sedative, which is not approved for human use. RIDOH\u2019s data indicates that last year, 85% of overdoses involved opioids, and 78% involved fentanyl, specifically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naloxone (also known by its brand name, Narcan) can reverse an overdose from opioids\u2014including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications\u2014and restore normal breathing. There is a short window of time to intervene before oxygen deprivation causes significant or fatal damage. A prefilled nasal spray is one form of naloxone that can be used without a prescription. All 50 states have a good Samaritan law that protects against civil or criminal liability for helping someone experiencing a drug overdose, and many states go further, protecting against arrest for drug-related offenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacobson compares naloxone to other safety tools, noting that everyone should have it on hand, even with prescription opioids, because mistakes can happen. \u201cIt\u2019s like having a fire extinguisher,\u201d she says. \u201cNobody wants to have a fire, but we all have fire extinguishers on hand just in case. Having a fire extinguisher is not stigmatized. You can want something to not happen, and also be prepared in case it does.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COMMUNITY IMPACT<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 7% decrease in overdose deaths last year is the first decline in Rhode Island in four years. \u201cWhile difficult to measure precisely as there are so many factors that affect the overdose crisis, the availability of naloxone has, without a doubt, been vital to our response and has most certainly impacted the decrease in fatal overdoses,\u201d says Nya Reichley, community outreach coordinator for the Drug Overdose Prevention Program at RIDOH. Faculty and students at 溏心vlog免费B站 have played a meaningful role in distributing naloxone both to the public and to harm-reduction organizations around the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fall 2019, Jacobson led a team from 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s College of Pharmacy, College of Nursing, College of the Environment and Life Sciences, and Cooperative Extension in securing a $1 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to establish the CFRP. They focused on underserved rural areas of the state, utilizing the connections Cooperative Extension has established through its agricultural outreach program, educating people about opioids and offering essential resources to address misuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CFRP, now run by Jacobson and three full-time staff members and housed in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s College of Pharmacy, has expanded. In fall 2021, RIDOH asked the program to lead naloxone distribution for the entire state\u2014establishing CFRP as the hub for ordering, processing, labeling, storing, and distributing intranasal naloxone\u2014about 50,000 kits annually. \u201cTo my knowledge, this is the first time a university\u2019s college of pharmacy has taken the lead on providing community-based naloxone distribution,\u201d Jacobson says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CFRP director Anita Jacobson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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CFRP\u2019S MISSION: Remove the stigma associated with opioid misuse, keep people alive and healthy, and empower communities to proactively tackle this growing crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Since their work has been fully funded by RIDOH, they have given out an estimated 150,000 naloxone kits. 溏心vlog免费B站 16,000 of them have been distributed directly to the public at places such as markets and libraries. And because the CFRP is now a licensed wholesale distributor, even more have been given to nonprofit recovery and harm-reduction organizations around the state. \u201cCollaborating with the CFRP has been invaluable to Rhode Island\u2019s overdose response, and their work has set Rhode Island apart from other jurisdictions in response to the overdose crisis,\u201d notes Reichley. \u201cDr. Jacobson highlights the importance of pharmacists in our efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CFRP\u2019s model is novel for two reasons: Kits are free, and personal information is not required. Toni Sullo, Pharm.D. \u201924, says that the cost of the medication is prohibitive for many. \u201cDespite payment assistance programs, most people leave the pharmacy without naloxone due to its price,\u201d she says. \u201cIt felt really impactful to work with the CFRP and eliminate any cost barrier that would prevent someone from being equipped with this life-saving medication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the reasons community distribution is so successful is because it is anonymous,\u201d Jacobson says. At community events, people are asked for basic demographic information when they pick up a kit, but it\u2019s optional. \u201cThe program approaches outreach efforts with a health-equity lens to address disparities in overdoses and naloxone distribution,\u201d Reichley adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CFRP\u2019s educational outreach has grown, as well. Through webinars and in-person workshops, the program has trained more than 1,050 law enforcement officers and 1,800 teachers, nurses, counselors, and administrators on overdose response. It offers continuing education programs for health-care professionals. More than 1,600 members of the public have attended live seminars on the opioid epidemic, and even more have been reached through events across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pharmacy and nursing students can work with the CFRP to earn community service hours, which are necessary for graduation and as part of the doctor of pharmacy degree\u2019s six-week clinical rotations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kendra Walsh, Pharm.D. \u201921, worked with the program from its inception to her graduation. Now a medical student at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, she says her experience with the CFRP was invaluable. \u201cAs I apply to anesthesiology residency programs,\u201d she says, \u201cmy experiences with the CFRP really helped emphasize the importance of responsible, appropriate use of opioids, because we know what can happen when best practices are not adhered to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Anita Jacobson and Emily Lancor, Pharm.D. \u201924, staff a table at a community event.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c<\/span>One of the reasons community distribution is so successful is because it is anonymous.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013Anita Jacobson<\/strong>, Director, Community First Responder Program and Clinical Professor of Pharmacy<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe opioid epidemic is part of what made me want to become a pharmacist in the first place, and working with the CFRP really confirmed that,\u201d says Claire Burbridge, Pharm.D. \u201924, M.B.A. \u201924. \u201cAs I\u2019ve started a yearlong residency, I\u2019ve been seeking opportunities to work in harm-reduction or substance-use-disorder settings. I know I will be incorporating what I learned with the CFRP.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LOCAL TO REGIONAL<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With a $1.3 million federal grant from SAMHSA awarded in 2022, the CFRP expanded into a regional hub, creating partnerships with five institutions in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Regional Center operates through four partners in these states, and, among other aspects of the model built at 溏心vlog免费B站, it now offers the CFRP\u2019s online training modules for the public and continuing education for health-care professionals. Participants receive naloxone by mail from the CFRP. These five states also reported declines in fatal overdoses in 2023\u2014ranging from a 4.1% decrease in Vermont to a 16.2% decrease in Maine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While momentum for CFRP\u2019s programs has been growing\u2014it is the only organization focused on addressing overdose deaths in rural New England\u2014this grant is only secure for another year. The future of these partnerships\u2014and the services the institutions can offer as a result\u2014is unclear after that. The committed funding from RIDOH, as well as additional grants such as a $250,000 award from the Rhode Island Foundation in 2021, ensures the work the CFRP is doing in Rhode Island will continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A pharmacist since 1998, Jacobson has seen firsthand how a myriad of situations can lead to drug misuse. \u201cI\u2019ve seen people develop dependence on prescription opioids, or transition from prescription opioids to street drugs, or go in and out of detox and rehab,\u201d she says. Her perspective is not limited to professional observations: In 2014, she lost a family member to a heroin overdose. \u201cThat\u2019s what really galvanized me to get involved in naloxone distribution specifically,\u201d she says. \u201cIt made me examine addiction and want to learn more about it.\u201d According to RIDOH\u2019s data, 84% of fatal overdoses, like the one in Jacobson\u2019s own family, occur in a private setting. \u201cIf you don\u2019t have the reversal agent there, you can\u2019t make an intervention,\u201d she notes.<\/p>\n\n\n

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CFRP director Anita Jacobson at a community educational presentation in Johnston, R.I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The matter-of-fact, compassionate approach she brings to her work is informed by a depth of understanding only a seasoned health-care provider\u2014one who has been privy to many personal stories and experiences, in addition to her own experience\u2014could have. She is not judgmental. Instead, she offers solutions for how to move forward in ways that are both realistic and empowering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorking with Dr. Jacobson was amazing,\u201d says Burbridge. \u201cShe is not only a great teacher but a great person, and I think this shines through when you look at the program as a whole. Seeing how much she has done for the state of Rhode Island through this program was very inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was able to see how much of a difference one person can make,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COMMUNITY CARE<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The numbers are staggering: Overdose death rates in the United States are equivalent to a Boeing 737 plane crashing daily. 溏心vlog免费B站 1 in 3 Americans has lost someone to an overdose. However, many feel reluctant to talk openly about their experiences or seek help because of the stigma surrounding drug use. The CFRP works at the intersection of providing practical resources and changing the conversation about this complex issue. It has succeeded in creating an interdisciplinary, interagency response to this crisis, and CFRP staff seek to inspire that same collective strength on a community level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the goal is to ensure that everyone can respond to an overdose and have essential medication on hand, the underlying mission is deeper. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about handing out naloxone,\u201d Walsh says. \u201cIt\u2019s about shaping perceptions and increasing understanding so our entire society can benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sign on Jacobson\u2019s office door features a quote from Dr. Seuss\u2019s The Lorax<\/em>: \u201cUnless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It\u2019s not.\u201d

\u201cPeople usually think of police or fire and rescue departments as first responders,\u201d Jacobson says. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to build a community of first responders\u2014people who have basic knowledge, training, and resources to help others who need it. If people are educated about this and know how to recognize an overdose and recognize someone caught in the cycle of substance-use disorder, we can save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHOTOS: SETH JACOBSON; COURTESY CFRP<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Be a Community First Responder<\/h2>\n

Interested in becoming a community first responder? Visit uri.edu\/cfrp<\/a> to complete an interactive 10-minute online module to learn more about the opioid epidemic, drug misuse, stigma, naloxone, and treatment and recovery options. When finished, you will be a certified responder and can request a free naloxone kit by mail.<\/p>\n\n

At that link, you can also schedule a live webinar or in-person seminar for a group and donate to the CFRP. All contributions directly fund naloxone education and kit distribution.<\/p> \n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Community First Responder Program has a simple mission: Save lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":15656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2024","architecture-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15129"}],"version-history":[{"count":48,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15793,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15129\/revisions\/15793"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}