Community pharmacies as access points for addiction treatment

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pharmaceutics
• Rural Health

Background:

• Growing interest in leveraging community pharmacies for opioid abuse prevention and addiction treatment.
• Uncertainty regarding the geographical suitability of community pharmacies for these roles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the distribution of community pharmacies in Wisconsin.
• To assess the relationship between pharmacy locations, addiction treatment facilities, and opioid overdose events in rural and urban settings.

Main Methods:

• Examined opioid-related overdose deaths and death rates per 100,000 population by county.
• Identified substance abuse treatment facilities and community pharmacies in each county.
• Utilized descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation to analyze relationships.

Main Results:

• Opioid overdose deaths were concentrated in urban areas, but death rates were similar in rural and urban counties.
• Rural counties had significantly fewer substance abuse treatment facilities and community pharmacies than urban counties.
• Community pharmacies were more prevalent in rural counties with higher overdose rates than treatment facilities, with most rural counties lacking treatment facilities having at least one pharmacy.

Conclusions:

• Community pharmacies are strategically located to support medication-assisted addiction treatment.
• Pharmacies can play a crucial role in bridging gaps in formal addiction treatment, particularly in underserved rural areas.