Public Health and Pharmacy Partnerships in Opioid Harm Reduction: Responding to Community Needs

Background: Minnesota pharmacists were encouraged to utilize legislation allowing them to dispense naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug, without prescription. Unfortunately, this legislation has not been utilized widely resulting in preventable death.

Objectives: This study sought to determine how a partnership between public health and academic pharmacy could facilitate community pharmacists' naloxone dispensing.

Methods: Pharmacy and public health professionals collaborated in two counties to identify ways to support naloxone dispensing. Community pharmacies in these areas were provided with multidisciplinary support in naloxone and naloxone protocol education; dispensing measures were tracked before and throughout the study.

Results: Through partnerships between public health and pharmacy, naloxone dispensing measures increased. In-person visits with a public health or pharmacy advocate were associated with increased protocol uptake, dispensing, and naloxone stocking.

Conclusions: Support from public health professionals and pharmacists in partnership shows great promise in increasing naloxone protocols and dispensing in a community pharmacy setting.