SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. ― Regional West and The Community Pharmacy at Regional West are working to reduce the presence of potentially dangerous medications in the community through an opioid stewardship program.

A Regional West interdisciplinary opioid stewardship team began looking at trends primarily relating to pain medications in 2017 in an effort to raise awareness of prescription drugs. As a result of awareness created by the program, the number of prescriptions for OxyContin and Fentanyl patches disbursed by Community Pharmacy dropped substantially by 2021.

As one replacement, buprenorphine is being prescribed more often for pain relief. Buprenorphine comes with fewer side effects than some of the opioid medications while still being effective for pain.

Michelle Smith, RPh, operations manager for Community Pharmacy at Regional West, said many prescriptions are now written for a seven-day supply of the medications rather than for a month supply.

“Patients should use the lowest dose medication possible and the least amount possible to acceptably cover their pain control,” Smith said.

An open conversation with a physician or prescriber about expectations for pain relief can help determine proper medications to achieve the desired level of pain relief, or it may be determined that non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, exercise, massage therapy, or simple hot packs or cold packs may be used.

By reducing the number of opioid medications prescribed, even though they are legal drugs, the incidence of overdose is also reduced as fewer pills are available.

In partnership with StopODNE, Community Pharmacy offers free NARCAN ® Nasal Spray to Nebraska residents without a prescription. NARCAN ® can help reverse an overdose. Any Nebraska resident can pick up as many as four boxes of the spray for personal availability or in the event a family member or friend may be at risk of an overdose.

Community Pharmacy has seen success in getting the spray doses out to the community through the NARCAN ® program and StopODNE, but Smith said it is important that people recognize the importance of this availability for anyone and to take advantage of the program.

“Accidental overdose can happen to anybody,” Smith said. “It knows no social, economic, or any other types of boundaries. It can happen without knowing that they’ve taken anything dangerous. People can get help, and we can help them.”

For more information about the free NARCAN ® program, visit stopodne.com.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 188-bed regional referral center and the only Level II Trauma Center in Nebraska west of Kearney. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 in-network providers and approximately 2,000 staff members, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative healthcare services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.