ASAP: A pharmacy-level intervention to increase nonprescription syringe sales to reduce bloodborne illnesses.

Background: Pharmacy syringe sales are effective structural interventions to reduce bloodborne illnesses in populations, and are legal in all but two states. Yet evidence indicates reduced syringe sales in recent years. This study was designed as a feasibility test of an intervention to promote syringe sales by pharmacies in Arizona.

Come back when you're infected: pharmacy access to sterile syringes in an Arizona Secret Shopper Study, 2023.

Background: Pharmacies are critical healthcare partners in community efforts to eliminate bloodborne illnesses. Pharmacy sale of sterile syringes is central to this effort.

Methods: A mixed methods "secret shopper" syringe purchase study was conducted in the fall of 2022 with 38 community pharmacies in Maricopa and Pima Counties, Arizona.

Insufficient Impact: Limited Implementation of Federal Regulatory Changes to Methadone and Buprenorphine Access in Arizona During COVID-19.

Introduction: This study examined the impact of federal regulatory changes on methadone and buprenorphine treatment during COVID-19 in Arizona.

Methods: A cohort study of methadone and buprenorphine providers from September 14, 2021 to April 15, 2022 measured the proportion of 6 treatment accommodations implemented at 3 time periods: before COVID-19, during Arizona's COVID-19 shutdown, and at the time of the survey completion. Accommodations included (1) telehealth, (2) telehealth buprenorphine induction, (3) increased multiday dosing, (4) license reciprocity, (5) home medications delivery, and (6) off-site dispensing.

Dialing for doctors: Secret shopper study of Arizona methadone and buprenorphine providers, 2022.

Introduction: Methadone and buprenorphine are effective and safe treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) and also reduce overdose and all-cause mortality. Identifying and reaching providers of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) has proven difficult for prospective patients and researchers.

Objectives: To assess the accuracy of government-maintained lists of Arizona (AZ) providers prescribing MOUD, and the extent to which these providers are accessible for treatment.

Cultural and translation challenges in assessing health literacy among immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Health literacy is an important foundation for health promotion and an under-recognized risk factor for immigrant and refugee groups. Yet measuring health literacy among diverse ethnic and linguistic populations presents complex challenges. We describe cultural and translation challenges encountered in measuring health literacy among Russian-speaking immigrants to the USA and offer a mixed-methods approach to understanding them.

Opportunities and Challenges Hepatitis C Testing and Treatment Access Experiences Among People in Methadone and Buprenorphine Treatment During COVID-19, Arizona, 2021.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to characterize hepatitis C virus screening and treatment access experiences among people in treatment for opioid use disorder in Arizona during COVID-19.

Methods: Arizonans receiving treatment for opioid use disorder from methadone clinics and buprenorphine providers during COVID-19 were interviewed about hepatitis C virus testing, curative treatment, and knowledge about screening recommendations. Interviews were conducted with 121 people from August 4, 2021 to October 10, 2021.

Trauma Experience Among Women Who Have Substance Use Disorders and are Homeless or Near Homeless.

Women with substance use disorders (SUDs) who are homeless or near homeless have high rates of mental health, behavioral health, and SUD treatment needs. To effectively respond to these needs, it is critical to understand the population-specific trauma experiences of these women. This descriptive study examined the extent and nature of trauma experience among women who have an SUD and are homeless or near homeless.

A Research-Informed Approach to Providing Behavioral Healthcare to Women with Extensive Trauma Histories.

Translating research to behavioral healthcare practice is vital for improving treatment impact but can be challenging. Current and lifetime histories of trauma need to be considered in behavioral healthcare provision as they can significantly affect an individual's treatment experience. This article provides guidance on how to utilize research findings regarding trauma prevalence and experiences of women who have substance use disorder and who are homeless or near homeless to help guide responsive healthcare and treatment in practice.

Nothing really changed: Arizona patient experience of methadone and buprenorphine access during COVID.

Objective: To understand patient experience of federal regulatory changes governing methadone and buprenorphine (MOUD) access in Arizona during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This community-based participatory and action research study involved one-hour, audio-recorded field interviews conducted with 131 people who used methadone and/or buprenorphine to address opioid use disorder at some point during COVID (January 1, 2020- March 31, 2021) in Arizona. Transcribed data were analyzed using a priori codes focused on federally recommended flexibilities governing MOUD access.

The PharmNet Harm Reduction Intervention for Community Pharmacies: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The overdose epidemic in the United States has continued to worsen despite substantial efforts to mitigate its harms. The opioid antagonist naloxone has been identified as a key means of reducing the prevalence of fatal overdoses. An important evidence-based approach to optimizing naloxone's impact is to seed it throughout the community, because bystanders are often able to reverse overdoses more quickly than first responders and sometimes are the only possible means of overdose reversal.

Beliefs and misperceptions about naloxone and overdose among U.S. laypersons: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) to laypersons are key approaches to reduce the incidence of opioid-involved overdoses. While some research has examined attitudes toward OEND, especially among pharmacists and first responders, our understanding of what laypersons believe about overdose and naloxone is surprisingly limited. Further, some scholars have expressed concerns about the prevalence of non-evidence-based beliefs about overdose and naloxone.

Empowering Equitable Data Use Partnerships and Indigenous Data Sovereignties Amid Pandemic Genomics.

The COVID-19 pandemic has inequitably impacted Indigenous communities in the United States. In this emergency state that highlighted existing inadequacies in US government and tribal public health infrastructures, many tribal nations contracted with commercial entities and other organization types to conduct rapid diagnostic and antibody testing, often based on proprietary technologies specific to the novel pathogen. They also partnered with public-private enterprises on clinical trials to further the development of vaccines.

"The gatekeepers in prevention": Community pharmacist perceptions of their role in the opioid epidemic.

Community pharmacists are at the frontline of patient care, yet their role in the opioid epidemic remains unclear. This qualitative study examines the perception of community pharmacists about their role in the opioid epidemic and challenges to fulfilling this role. A secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data from an Indiana census of community managing pharmacists was conducted.

Direct-to-Consumer Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing Services: A Position Statement from the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association.

Direct-to-consumer test services have gained popularity for sexually transmitted infections in recent years, with substantially increased use as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 (CoVID-19) global pandemic. This method of access has been variously known as "self-testing," "home testing," and "direct access testing." Although these online services may be offered through different mechanisms, here we focus on those that are consumer-driven and require self-collected samples, and sample shipment to a centralized laboratory without involvement of health care providers and/or local health departments.

Living at the Confluence of Stigmas: PrEP Awareness and Feasibility Among People Who Inject Drugs in Two Predominantly Rural States.

We explored knowledge, beliefs, and acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention with reference to stigma among people who inject drugs (PWID) in two predominately rural U.S. states.

I don't even want to go to the doctor when I get sick now: Healthcare experiences and discrimination reported by people who use drugs, Arizona 2019.

Background: People who use drugs experience severe health inequities created by structural and social barriers related to healthcare access. This includes stigma.

Objective: To characterize the experience of healthcare access among people who use drugs in Maricopa County, Arizona USA.

A qualitative analysis of vaccine decision makers' conceptualization and fostering of 'community engagement' in India.

Background: Globally, and in India, research has highlighted the importance of community engagement in achieving national vaccination goals and in promoting health equity. However, community engagement is not well-defined and remains an underutilized approach. There is also paucity of literature on community engagement's effectiveness in achieving vaccination outcomes.

The Emerging Intersection Between Injection Drug Use and Early Syphilis in Nonurban Areas of Missouri, 2012-2018.

Background: The national rate of syphilis has increased among persons who inject drugs (PWID). Missouri is no exception, with increases in early syphilis (ES), congenital syphilis, and PWID, especially in nonurban counties.

Methods: Disease intervention specialist records for ES cases in Missouri (2012-2018) were examined.

Socioenvironmental Risk Factors for Adolescent Marijuana Use in a United States-Mexico Border Community.

Purpose: We examined how socioenvironmental risk factors unique to the United States-Mexico border, defined as border community and immigration stress, normalization of drug trafficking, and perceived disordered neighborhood stress, contribute to tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use among adolescents residing there.

Design: Cross-sectional design.

Setting: The study was conducted at a high school on the United States-Mexico border.

The RxHL study: community-responsive research to explore barriers to medication adherence.

This study aims to contribute to the development of community-responsive research approaches by describing the research methods used in the RxHL study and the interprofessional and community-based collaboration that produced them. The mixed-method RxHL study was developed in close consultation with staff and providers at our research site, a federally qualified health center in Springfield, MA. We utilized quantitative methods including chart review, manual pill counts and self-report surveys to assess factors associated with medication adherence in a diverse population of low-income patients with chronic disease.

Feasibility and acceptability of a proposed pharmacy-based harm reduction intervention to reduce opioid overdose, HIV and hepatitis C.

Background: Evidence-based harm reduction intervention components which might benefit pharmacy patients have not been integrated and studied.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a proposed pharmacy-based harm reduction intervention to reduce opioid overdose, HIV and hepatitis C called PharmNet.

Methods: Indiana managing pharmacists were surveyed in 2018 to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention for opioid misuse screening, brief intervention, syringe and naloxone dispensing, and referrals provision.

Youth Participatory Action Research for Youth Substance Use Prevention: A Systematic Review.

A growing body of research points to the efficacy of participatory methods in decreasing rates of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and other risky behaviors among youth. However, to date, no systematic review of the literature has been conducted on Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) for youth substance use prevention. This review draws on the peer-reviewed literature on YPAR in the context of youth substance use prevention published from January 1, 1998 through April 30, 2018.

I could take the judgment if you could just provide the service: non-prescription syringe purchase experience at Arizona pharmacies, 2018.

Background: Community pharmacies are important for health access by rural populations and those who do not have optimum access to the health system, because they provide myriad health services and are found in most communities. This includes the sale of non-prescription syringes, a practice that is legal in the USA in all but two states. However, people who inject drugs (PWID) face significant barriers accessing sterile syringes, particularly in states without laws allowing syringe services programming.

How the U.S.-Mexico border influences adolescent substance use: Youth participatory action research using photovoice.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to use Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methods and Photovoice to identify the perceived environmental factors that influence substance use among adolescents living at the U.S.-Mexico border.