The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) awarded the Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) a $24,000 education and implementation grant for the Pharmacist Continuing Education Project with Assistance to Facilitate Protocol Implementation to Address Nicotine Use Disorder. The project aims to train pharmacists to conduct a Nicotine Use Disorder clinical service in community-based pharmacies. This training equips pharmacists to dispense nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) under a physician-authorized protocol following the passage of House Bill 110 during the 134^th General Assembly. The Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) 4729:1-3-07 outlines how pharmacists use a physician-authorized protocol to dispense nicotine replacement therapy, including education requirements and screening procedures.

“The training provides an entry point for any community-based pharmacist seeking the education needed to start a nicotine use disorder or smoking cessation program,” says OPA Director of Pharmacy Extension and Public Health Initiatives, Myriam Shaw Ojeda, R.Ph., PharmD, who drafted the OPA grant application. The outcomes of this project will include a nicotine replacement therapy protocol template available to all OPA members and a continuing education Nicotine Use Disorder training program that complies with the education requirements in the OAC. Dr. Shaw Ojeda stated that the training and protocol should be made available later this year.

OPA is partnering with Davies Pharmacy in Canton, Ohio, as a test site. The concept behind the program is to introduce the protocol and any necessary training to the pharmacist team first to get valuable feedback from community pharmacists as they test the program in the real world. “The patients we serve trust the team of pharmacists at Davies Pharmacy to provide the highest quality care, and we seek to include clinical assistance for nicotine use disorder through this partnership. We hope this grant will serve as a great investment to empower Ohio pharmacists to enhance their expertise in this field!” says Zak Fettman R.Ph., PharmD, Enhanced Services Coordinator Pharmacist, and OPA Board Member for District 12.

From Left to Right: Zak Fettman, R.Ph., PharmD, Enhanced Services Coordinator Pharmacist, Davies Pharmacy; Steve Fettman, R.Ph., Pharmacy Owner, Davies Pharmacy; and Myriam Shaw Ojeda, R.Ph., PharmD, OPA Director of Pharmacy Extension and Public Health Initiatives

OPA continues to seek to advance pharmacy practice and public health partnerships as critical factors in serving Ohio’s patients. “It is great to see the intent of the General Assembly and the mission statement of OPA come together in improving the public health of Ohioans,” says Dave Burke, R.Ph. OPA Executive Director. OPA members can watch for the protocol template and continuing education programming to be available by the end of the year. Please contact Myriam Shaw Ojeda, R.Ph., PharmD, OPA Director of Pharmacy Extension and Public Health Initiatives, for further questions at mshawojeda@ohiopharmacists.org.