Expanding Naloxone and Fentanyl Test Strip Awareness and Access in a Rural Community

Author(s)

• James Hawkins, University of Mississippi
• Nga-Weng (Ivy) Leong, University of Mississippi
• Sujith Ramachandran, University of Mississippi
• Lyda Stokes, University of Mississippi
• Lindsey Miller, University of Mississippi
• Kristen Pate, University of Mississippi
• Joe Dikun, University of Mississippi
• Marie Barnard, University of Mississippi
• John Bentley, University of Mississippi

Description

Drug overdose has been a public health crisis and north Mississippi remains a heavily impacted area. Adolescents and young adults, especially college and high school students, have increased exposure to opioids and other drugs, leading to an increased likelihood of fatal and non-fatal drug overdose events. Despite the critical need for awareness among students, there exists significant challenges in current educational and distributional efforts. Objectives: SafeGuardMS is a SAMHSA-funded program with two goals: to deliver overdose-related and harm reduction education to students and to expand access to these life-saving tools among high school and college students in north Mississippi. Methods This project adopts a train the trainer approach. First, we have developed training materials and conducted training workshops for community pharmacists in Mississippi. Second, these pharmacists educate college students and high school students on when and how to intervene effectively in opioid-related emergencies and minimize unwanted harm. Results As of March 2026, we have trained 29 community pharmacists. All pharmacists agreed that they understood how to use naloxone and fentanyl test strips and how to identify the signs of an opioid overdose after the training. Also, all pharmacists agreed that the training sessions helped them understand how to teach health skills in high schools, how to deliver effective opioid education and how to work with high school students. Community pharmacists have trained over 10,000+ people in North Mississippi, including 8,000+ high school students and 2,000+ college students. Around 3,500+ naloxone nasal sprays (2 devices per box) and 7,000+ fentanyl test strips were distributed. Training sessions will continue until September, 2026. Conclusions Community pharmacists reported that the training sessions were effective in enhancing their understanding of how to use harm reduction tools and how to deliver this knowledge in high schools. Through the engagement of community pharmacists, SafeGuardMS has effectively disseminated harm reduction education and tools in rural Mississippi by raising awareness of the harms associated with opioid misuse and expanding access to naloxone and fentanyl test strips. Implications for Policy or Practice Collaborative efforts involving community pharmacists can foster sustainable and effective dissemination of opioid-related harm reduction education and tools.

Publication Info

2026.