Millions of Americans are living with mental illness, substance use disorder, and other complex, chronic health conditions. Recently, Chain Drug Review featured Genoa, which provides personalized, compassionate care using its integrated, on-site model to meet the needs of these often-medically underserved communities and provide accessible care.
“With every pharmacy we open and every medication we fill, we’re committed to serving our communities with the best-quality pharmacy care possible,” said Todd Gustin, CEO of Genoa, in the article. “We’re making a difference in the lives of people experiencing very tough circumstances.”
The article also shared results of a first-of-its-kind study from researchers at Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital and the University of Rhode Island that Genoa participated in which found that pharmacists — not just physicians at clinics and doctor’s offices — can safely and effectively start patients with opioid use disorder on the lifesaving medication buprenorphine.
The study documents the experiences of 100 patients who started taking buprenorphine after visiting a specially trained pharmacist for their care. Once stabilized on the medication, 58 patients were randomly assigned to receive either continued care in the pharmacy or usual care in a clinic or physician’s office.
After one month, the patients in the pharmacy care group showed dramatically higher rates of retention: 25 patients (89%) continued to receive treatment in the pharmacy compared to five (17%) in the usual care group.
“The study results are encouraging, and they highlight the role pharmacists can play in achieving positive health outcomes,” Tasha Hennessy, COO of Genoa, was quoted in the article. “The patients in this population just want to get healthy, but unfortunately they often experience barriers to care that make it hard for them to do so.”
Read the full article in Chain Drug Review’s recent issue.
