Toledo Naloxone Outreach Program: Patient and Health Care Professional Student Education

Alex Petrak,Manish Karamchandani,Tanvir Singh,Luke Zona,Jeni Ten Eyck

doi:10.18061/ojph.v4i1.8072

Abstract

Background: In 2016, Ohio was home to 2 of the top 10 cities with opioid overdoses in the United States. Dayton ranked first, and Toledo held the tenth slot. In response to the opioid epidemic, the Toledo Naloxone Outreach Program (TNOP) was developed to provide naloxone to underserved patients at a student-run free clinic.Methods: The TNOP takes place weekly at 2 locations in the greater Toledo area. Patients are asked to fill out an anonymous survey and given a brief training session by a health care professional student. Patients are then sent home with a free naloxone kit. Additionally, health care professional students were surveyed on their confidence of acquiring a substance use history and knowledge of local services for patients and family members of those experiencing addiction during the "train the trainer" event. The health care professional student survey utilized a 1-5 Likert scale and was analyzed using paired student t tests.Results: Survey results from patients indicate that a majority had not received nalox one prior to the training, indicating the service was expanding access to an otherwise underserved population. Results from the survey administered before and after health care professional student training sessions reflect a significant increase in confidence eliciting a substance abuse history and providing patients and/or family members with addiction resources in the community.Conclusion: The TNOP has provided the community of Toledo with 2 additional outreach locations for receiving free naloxone kits with proper education. Currently, TNOP is in the process of expanding the outreach program to additional student-run free clinics in Ohio.

Highlights

In 2018, Ohio ranked fifth in rates of age-adjusted drug overdose deaths.[1]
Results from the survey administered before and after health care professional student training sessions reflect a significant increase in confidence eliciting a substance abuse history and providing patients and/or family members with addiction resources in the community
The Toledo Naloxone Outreach Program (TNOP) has provided the community of Toledo with 2 additional outreach locations for receiving free naloxone kits with proper education

Summary

Introduction

In 2018, Ohio ranked fifth in rates of age-adjusted drug overdose deaths.[1]. Within Ohio, Lucas County has experienced a steady rise in opioid overdose deaths from 2014-2019.2 Lucas County ranks seventh of 88 counties in Ohio regarding total drug overdoses from 2012-2020.3 If uninsured, the public can procure naloxone for $75 from a variety of pharmacies and at no cost from the Toledo Lucas County Department of Health. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) published a public statement supporting broadened community access to naloxone in populations with high risk for opioid overdose.[4] Given the significant detrimental impact of opioid overdoses on the local community, the Addiction Medicine Club at the University of Toledo College of Medicine (UTCOM) created the Toledo Naloxone Outreach Program (TNOP) in August 2018. The TNOP was formed to combat the opioid epidemic at a local level by providing free naloxone training and kits to vulnerable populations. The program aims to provide health care professional student education early on in training to prepare students to care for a population significantly affected by the opioid epidemic. In response to the opioid epidemic, the Toledo Naloxone Outreach Program (TNOP) was developed to provide naloxone to underserved patients at a student-run free clinic

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