UM Team to Combat Opioid Overdose in North Mississippi

A University of Mississippi team is working to reduce that number by providing students with knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions and avoid overdose.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $3.23 million to a team of researchers to increase awareness and education on naloxone and fentanyl testing strips, which allow people to test for the presence of fentanyl.

"My philosophy is one life lost is too many," said Yi Yang, chair and professor of pharmacy administration. Yang is the project's lead. "We know that there have been lives lost among our young folks in our community. That's a major motivation of this grant."

The team will work with the William Magee Center for AOD and Wellness Education at Ole Miss and community pharmacies to bring naloxone and fentanyl testing strip training to 28 medically underserved communities across north Mississippi. Special emphasis will go to training high school and college-aged youths.

More than 76% of overdose deaths statewide were caused by opioids in 2022, according to the Mississippi Opioid and Heroin Data Collaborative. That number rose again in 2023. This trend is contrary to a national decrease in opioid-related deaths, where the United States is experiencing its lowest death totals since 2019.

"Several factors together increase the risk of opioid addiction and overdose in Mississippi, including widespread prescriptions for opioids, increased availability of synthetic opioids like fentanyl through illegal drug distribution networks, limited access to treatment and prevention programs, stigma surrounding addiction and the rural nature of the state," said Donna Sue West Strum, dean of the School of Pharmacy and the project's co-lead.

"This project offers hope by increasing public awareness about the dangers of opioid use and addiction and providing the life-saving tools in high-risk areas."

The team will partner with pharmacists through two local pharmacy networks: the Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network and MississippiCare.

Lindsey Miller, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice, and Kristen Pate, clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice, will train pharmacists to use fentanyl testing strips and naloxone so that the pharmacists can take the knowledge back to their communities.

"We want to combat some of the public mistrust in health care by bringing education to the community," Miller said.

"That's why we want to involve local community pharmacists in these counties, who are the most accessible health care members. We recognize the value of the trusting relationships they have built with their patients."

One reason for the national decrease in opioid overdoses is the availability of naloxone, a medication that can reverse the effects of overdose, and testing strips, Yang said. Fentanyl testing strips can detect the presence of fentanyl in medications and drugs to help people avoid accidentally ingesting the opioid.

Before the passage of a new law earlier this year that made more naloxone more available to community organizations and hospitals, some pharmacies were hesitant to dispense the life-saving drug.

"We know that regardless of educational efforts we have, regardless of all the programs we have, some people may still choose to engage in this unhealthy and risky behavior," Yang said. "That is why the fentanyl testing strips have become a handy measure for harm reduction."

The Magee Center already provides naloxone training on campus as a part of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch's One Pill Can Kill campaign. The upcoming project will supplement that effort and broaden the scope beyond campus, Yang said.

"We're going to provide more naloxone and fentanyl testing strips and more manpower to beef up that part of the project," she said. "Another component of the program is that we plan to reach out to most high schools in north Mississippi because this is an under-reached population."

After the yearlong grant, the researchers hope to take their work statewide and educate as many pharmacists and students as possible, Yang said.

"We can help our community, and that's our motivation," she said. "As I said, when it comes to the loss of life, even one is too many."

This material is based on work supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration award no. 1H79FG001359-01.

Top: Ole Miss researchers hope to bring naloxone and fentanyl testing strip training to pharmacists and high schools across north Mississippi through a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services