PROVIDENCE – The Center of Biomedical Research Excellence on Opioids and Overdose at Rhode Island Hospital successfully conducted a workshop in August to address the opioid crisis.
The workshop included community members, designers, researchers and public health experts. The workshop was meant to find insights and address the challenge of accessibility and portability of naloxone. Its primary focus was to find new ways for carrying naloxone, which lacks convenient packaging for transport and storage.
Facing the Holidays with a Cancer Diagnosis
The holidays are often painted as a time of joy, tradition, and togetherness. But for…
Learn More
The initiative was funded through the National Institutes of Health and took place over four sessions held once a week.
“We’ve seen access to naloxone grow tremendously in Rhode Island, but [the] carrying of naloxone has paradoxically fallen. There seem to be many reasons for this, but one of them is quite simply the ease of carrying the medication around,” said Traci Green, deputy director of the opioids and overdose center. “We gathered community members with naloxone experience, ages 15 to 70, with lived and living experience using drugs, from harm reduction workers to providers and students. What emerged from these workshops was at least five amazing naloxone packaging designs – and especially hope for change in the opioid crisis.”
The workshop ended with participants presenting their product designs to community members and researchers who are considering using the ideas in ongoing studies.
Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.
