Barnes Healthcare pharmacists fight opioid crisis
The opioid crisis is a nationwide problem in the U.S., but it hits home for Valdosta pharmacist Ben Elliott.
“Everyone knows someone who has had an opioid abuse issue – a family member, a friend, someone from church – I have had a half a dozen,” said Ben, a lead pharmacist at Barnes Healthcare Pharmacy. “We see it on the news. We see a need for it here every day.”
Today, the pharmacy is successfully fighting the opioid epidemic, changing lives one conversation – and naloxone prescription – at a time.
The hardest part was getting started.
Ben Elliott is a lead pharmacist at the Barnes Healthcare Pharmacy in Valdosta.
“Just saying you’re going to sell naloxone isn’t going to work,” he said. “We had sold just two after a few months.”
He and fellow lead pharmacist Olivia Law decided to use a written, public opioid policy.
“We had to figure out who we were going to target and how we were going to get the meds to them,” Ben said.
They ultimately revised the opioid policy to include filling naloxone for patients with chronic opioid use.
“It took a little while to implement,” he remembered. “You have to have someone who is going to champion those initial conversations. Until you start doing it, it doesn’t become a natural part of your workflow.”
Their opioid safety workflow is initiated by their pharmacy technician, who starts the conversation with chronic pain patients who have a monthly opioid prescription. Then the pharmacist steps in to help with the patient’s education. They discuss how opioids might not be a problem for the patient, but could be a problem for a neighbor, a cousin, or a child — whomever may be found in the house.
“We let them know the role naloxone could play,” Ben said. “When you put it in those terms, people are a lot more receptive.”
They also discuss how to store and lock up medicine, expiration dates of the naloxone, and more. He said Mike Crooks, the opioid safety and pharmacy interventions technical lead for Alliant Quality, was key to helping them figure out how to fine tune the process.
In the first three months after launching the new policy, Barnes Healthcare Pharmacy prescribed naloxone to 98 percent of patients who regularly use opioids — around 125 patients. They still have some kinks to work out with their workflow, but there’s no question for them anymore: They know they’re making a difference every day.
Fight the opioid crisis in your pharmacy: The Georgia Pharmacy Foundation has a path to help you become an Opioid Safety Champion. Click here to get started today!
