ANITA JACOBSON, a clinical professor at the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy, recently received the 2025 Generation Rx Award of Excellence from the American Pharmacists Association. The award recognizes one pharmacist nationwide who has demonstrated a commitment to substance abuse education.
What does receiving this award mean to you? It is an amazing honor, and really a career highlight, to receive the Generation Rx Award of Excellence. I hope that this award will bring more awareness to the work that the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy, R.I. Department of Health, and [R.I.] Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals have been doing collaboratively over the past five years to expand access to the opioid overdose reversal agent naloxone in our state.
As part of your educational outreach, in what ways did you help with stigma reduction surrounding opioid and substance use disorders? Our consistent messaging throughout all our education and outreach is that everyone should have and carry naloxone. Just like having a first-aid kit is not stigmatized, we hope people will see overdose response and rescue as they would any other lifesaving measure.
In fact, the inspiration for the name of our Community First Responder Program is this quote from former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams: “If we want to make a dent in this overdose epidemic, we need everyone to consider themselves a first responder. We need to look at it the same as we look at CPR; we need everyone carrying naloxone.”
The state received millions in settlement money from pharmaceutical companies from the opioid crisis. What should it do with that money to address the crisis?Rhode Island has set an example in using opioid settlement funds by prioritizing harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services. The state has expanded access to naloxone, overdose prevention centers and medication-assisted treatment while investing in supportive housing for those in recovery. Transparency and community input are central, with an Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee ensuring funds are allocated strategically. Continuing and expanding these efforts with an equity lens is crucial in addressing the crisis.
What new initiatives are you working on at URI to help combat substance use disorders? In 2025, CFRP plans to strategically expand naloxone distribution by strengthening partnerships with organizations that support underserved populations. To reach individuals who use in “private settings” who are at increased risk of fatal overdose, for example, we are focused on outreaching to housing and family support programs, public housing authorities, food banks and similar agencies.
We are poised to work closely with health care organizations striving to improve delivery of harm reduction and addiction services to their clients. Expect to see new, innovative training and resource offerings for our partners in health care settings this year.
