The BRIDGE educational outreach initiative will be implemented in 23 Appalachian counties: Bath, Breathitt, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Garrard, Green, Greenup, Hart, Jackson, Knott, Knox, Lee, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Menifee, Metcalfe, Nicholas, Perry, Rowan, Russell. These counties were selected based on the county rate of buprenorphine dispensing relative to the prevalence of opioid use disorder.
Buprenorphine Resource Initiative for Dispensing Guidance and Education
About BRIDGE
The Buprenorphine Resource Initiative for Dispensing Guidance and Education (BRIDGE) aims to identify and mitigate pharmacy-level barriers to dispensing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural Appalachian communities.
Focus groups of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in high- and low-dispensing counties inform the development of a pharmacist-to-pharmacist (P2P) educational outreach initiative. Surveys and dispensing data are used to evaluate changes in pharmacist attitudes and behaviors following the intervention.
The P2P team hopes to identify strategies that can be implemented statewide to increase access to buprenorphine in community pharmacies and improve care for patients with OUD.
78%
Percent of people with opioid use disorder do not receive medication for treatment
159,000
The estimated total number of people with OUD in Kentucky in 2019
80%
Percent of Kentucky pharmacies across 12 Appalachian counties that limited or did not dispense buprenorphine
BRIDGE Counties
Earn Continuing Education Credit
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Resources for Your Pharmacy
Access evidence-based resources, patient education materials, and helpful links.
Connect with the BRIDGE Team
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Supported by FORE
BRIDGE is funded by the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE), an independent, private, national grantmaking organization with a goal of finding and fostering solutions to ending the nation’s opioid and drug overdose crisis.