{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]],"date-time":"2026-07-15T09:01:55Z","timestamp":1784106115622,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]],"date-time":"2025-12-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766534400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Overdose Data to Action grant through the Allegheny County Health Department","award":["NU17CE924975"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NU17CE924975"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pharmacy"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Opioid overdoses in the United States remain a significant public health concern. Opioid use disorder (OUD) is stigmatized, exacerbating negative health outcomes. Reducing stigma in healthcare, including in pharmacies, is critical. The \u201cLet\u2019s Talk Stigma\u201d program was collaboratively developed with two schools of pharmacy, a local health department, and individuals with lived drug use experience. It aimed to reduce OUD-related stigma among pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, student pharmacists, and other allied health professionals. The program included six core components: a podcast, continuing education, a standardized curriculum for student pharmacists, training for pharmacy technicians and medical assistants, pharmacy outreach by student pharmacists, and partnerships with chain pharmacies. The anti-stigma podcast reached a global audience with nearly 22,000 listens, while local sessions engaged over 5000 individuals. These initiatives were integrated into Doctor of Pharmacy curricula, with student pharmacists distributing stigma-reduction kits in local pharmacies. A mixed-methods approach, incorporating qualitative data from participant reflections and quantitative data from surveys, podcast analytics, and attendance records, was used for program evaluation. Participants reported increased awareness of stigma, improved attitudes, and greater professional responsibility to reduce stigma. The program successfully leveraged partnerships, flexible delivery methods, and inclusion of people with lived drug use experience in its design.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmacy14010003","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]],"date-time":"2025-12-24T12:22:27Z","timestamp":1766578947000},"page":"3","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["\u201cLet\u2019s Talk Stigma\u201d: A Pharmacy-Based Program for Opioid Use Disorder Anti-Stigma Education in Pennsylvania"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4695-7399","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joni C.","family":"Carroll","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3044-4142","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sophia M. C.","family":"Herbert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5454-5300","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kim C.","family":"Coley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9929-9345","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thai Q.","family":"Nguyen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA"},{"name":"Allegheny County Health Department, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6754-609X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Melissa A. Somma","family":"McGivney","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7468-7330","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kelsey L.","family":"Hake","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2261-740X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jennifer Padden","family":"Elliott","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Integrative Health, Duquesne University School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-0696-906X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elizabeth Bunk","family":"Barton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Integrative Health, Duquesne University School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2025, December 02). 2024 Companion infographic report: Results from the 2021 to 2024 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (SAMHSA Publication No. PEP25-07-006). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Available online: https:\/\/www.samhsa.gov\/data\/sites\/default\/files\/reports\/rpt56462\/2024-nsduh-companion-report.pdf."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Ahmad, F.B., Cisewski, J.A., Rossen, L.M., and Sutton, P. (2025, December 02). Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts, Available online: https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/nvss\/vsrr\/drug-overdose-data.htm#citation."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"813","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.2012.301069","article-title":"Stigma as a Fundamental Cause of Population Health Inequalities","volume":"103","author":"Hatzenbuehler","year":"2013","journal-title":"Am. J. Public. Health"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"221","DOI":"10.1097\/ACM.0000000000005467","article-title":"Stigma Against Patients With Substance Use Disorders Among Health Care Professionals and Trainees and Stigma-Reducing Interventions: A Systematic Review","volume":"99","author":"Magnan","year":"2024","journal-title":"Acad. Med."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugalcdep.2013.02.018","article-title":"Stigma among health professionals towards patients with substance use disorders and its consequences for healthcare delivery: Systematic review","volume":"131","author":"Brouwers","year":"2013","journal-title":"Drug Alcohol Depend."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e22411","DOI":"10.2196\/22411","article-title":"Reasons people who use opioids do not accept or carry no-cost naloxone: Qualitative interview study","volume":"4","author":"Bennett","year":"2020","journal-title":"JMIR Form. Res."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"63","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2016.10.012","article-title":"\u201cNot human, dead already\u201d: Perceptions and experiences of drug-related stigma among opioid-using young adults from the former Soviet Union living in the U.S","volume":"38","author":"Gunn","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int. J. Drug Policy"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2018.04.004","article-title":"Stigma at every turn: Health services experiences among people who inject drugs","volume":"57","author":"Paquette","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int. J. Drug Policy"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"512","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sapharm.2024.02.001","article-title":"\u201cI go out of my way to give them an extra smile now:\u201d A study of pharmacists who participated in Respond to Prevent, a community pharmacy intervention to accelerate provision of harm reduction materials","volume":"20","author":"Irwin","year":"2024","journal-title":"Res. Soc. Adm. Pharm."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"80","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugalcdep.2019.01.037","article-title":"Strategies used by people who inject drugs to avoid stigma in healthcare settings","volume":"198","author":"Biancarelli","year":"2019","journal-title":"Drug Alcohol. Depend."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"742","DOI":"10.1007\/s10461-017-1826-2","article-title":"Influence of Substance Use Disorders on 2-Year HIV Care Retention in the United States","volume":"22","author":"Hartzler","year":"2018","journal-title":"AIDS Behav."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"579","DOI":"10.1086\/313703","article-title":"High prevalence of abscesses and cellulitis among community-recruited injection drug users in San Francisco","volume":"30","author":"Binswanger","year":"2000","journal-title":"Clin. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1510","DOI":"10.1017\/S0950268810000324","article-title":"The extent of injection site infection in injecting drug users: Findings from a national surveillance study","volume":"138","author":"Hope","year":"2010","journal-title":"Epidemiol. Infect."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20","DOI":"10.1016\/j.addbeh.2017.07.017","article-title":"Injection drug use and overdose among young adults who use prescription opioids non-medically","volume":"76","author":"Liebling","year":"2018","journal-title":"Addict. Behav."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e29","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.2015.302843","article-title":"Worldwide Prevalence and Trends in Unintentional Drug Overdose: A Systematic Review of the Literature","volume":"105","author":"Martins","year":"2015","journal-title":"Am. J. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e47548","DOI":"10.2196\/47548","article-title":"Health Care Provider Stigma Toward Patients With Substance Use Disorders: Protocol for a Nationally Representative Survey","volume":"12","author":"Parish","year":"2023","journal-title":"JMIR Res. Protoc."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"211","DOI":"10.1177\/29767342231215178","article-title":"Relationships Between Stigma, Risk Tolerance, and Buprenorphine Dispensing Intentions Among Community-Based Pharmacists: Results From a National Sample","volume":"45","author":"Light","year":"2024","journal-title":"Subst. Use Addict. J."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e209132","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2020.9132","article-title":"Evaluation of Frequency of Encounters With Primary Care Physicians vs. Visits to Community Pharmacies Among Medicare Beneficiaries","volume":"3","author":"Berenbrok","year":"2020","journal-title":"JAMA Netw. Open."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S19","DOI":"10.1016\/j.japh.2017.01.013","article-title":"Perpetuating stigma or reducing risk? Perspectives from naloxone consumers and pharmacists on pharmacy-based naloxone in 2 states","volume":"57","author":"Green","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Am. Pharm. Assoc."},{"key":"ref_20","unstructured":"(2024, April 15). Data on Opioid Use and Overdose. Allegheny County. Available online: https:\/\/www.alleghenycounty.us\/Services\/Health-Department\/Opioid-Overdose-Prevention\/Data-on-Opioid-Use-and-Overdose."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kissell, L.M., Coley, K.C., Khieu, A.S., Bunk, E.J., Herbert, S.M.C., and Carroll, J.C. (2022). Podcasts as a Method to Deliver Education on Stigma Surrounding Opioid Use Disorder. Pharmacy, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmacy10060161"},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"(2025, May 12). Pennsylvania Pharmacists Care Network. CPESN. Available online: https:\/\/www.papharmacistsnetwork.com\/."},{"key":"ref_23","unstructured":"TRAIN-PA (2024, May 16). Pennsylvania Department of Health: Naloxone Training Video. Available online: https:\/\/www.train.org\/pa\/course\/1085469\/details?activeTab=about."},{"key":"ref_24","unstructured":"National Institute on Drug Abuse (2024, May 16). Words Matter: Preferred Languages for Talking about Addiction, Available online: https:\/\/nida.nih.gov\/research-topics\/addiction-science\/words-matter-preferred-language-talking-about-addiction."},{"key":"ref_25","unstructured":"(2025, May 12). Steps of Recovery Allegheny County Resources. Allegheny County Health Department. Available online: https:\/\/www.alleghenycounty.us\/files\/assets\/county\/v\/1\/government\/health\/documents\/opioid-overdose\/opioids-flow-of-resources-bro.pdf."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102191","DOI":"10.1016\/j.japh.2024.102191","article-title":"Expanding public health initiatives through community pharmacies and student pharmacists: A programmatic case study","volume":"64","author":"Herbert","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Am. Pharm. Assoc."},{"key":"ref_27","unstructured":"U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1999). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Framework for program evaluation in public health. MMWR Recomm. Rep., 48, 1\u201340."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"108721","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsat.2022.108721","article-title":"\u201cIn their mind, they always felt less than\u201d: The role of peers in shifting stigma as a barrier to opioid use disorder treatment retention","volume":"138","author":"Anvari","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Subst. Abus. Treat."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"749","DOI":"10.1007\/s10899-023-10223-0","article-title":"Lived Experience Performance to Reduce Stigma, Enhance Understanding of Gambling Harm and Change Attitudes and Behaviours of Professionals and Community Members","volume":"40","author":"Thomas","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Gambl. Stud."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lambert, C., Egan, R., Turner, S., Milton, M., Khalu, M., Lobo, R., and Douglas, J. (2023). The Digital Bytes Project: Digital Storytelling as a Tool for Challenging Stigma and Making Connections in a Forensic Mental Health Setting. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 20.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph20136268"},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"655","DOI":"10.1111\/add.16743","article-title":"Changing public perceptions of alcohol, alcohol harms and alcohol policies: A multi-methods study to develop novel framing approaches","volume":"120","author":"Fitzgerald","year":"2025","journal-title":"Addiction"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Anderson, T., Stark, P., Craig, S., McMullan, J., Anderson, G., Hughes, C., Gormley, K., Killough, J., McLaughlin-Borlace, N., and Steele, L. (2024). Co-design and evaluation of an audio podcast about sustainable development goals for undergraduate nursing and midwifery students. BMC Med. Educ., 24.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-024-06268-3"},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1935","DOI":"10.1111\/ans.19240","article-title":"An invisible knife to add to your toolkit: A narrative review of how podcasts have audibly shaped, styled, and sharpened surgical education","volume":"94","author":"Mansour","year":"2024","journal-title":"ANZ J. Surg."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"343","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-publhealth-071421-031614","article-title":"The Value and Impacts of Academic Public Health Departments","volume":"44","author":"Erwin","year":"2023","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2194","DOI":"10.1007\/s11606-023-08194-4","article-title":"Rewriting the Hidden Curriculum via Addiction Consult Services: Meeting Patients Where They Are At","volume":"38","author":"Balasanova","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Gen. Intern. Med."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S31","DOI":"10.1370\/afm.2920","article-title":"Impact of Stigma on Clinician Training for Opioid Use Disorder Care: A Qualitative Study in a Primary Care Learning Collaborative","volume":"21","author":"Klusaritz","year":"2023","journal-title":"Ann. Fam. Med."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"209566","DOI":"10.1016\/j.josat.2024.209566","article-title":"Development of a brief stigma and perceptions questionnaire for pharmacists: An exploratory factor analysis approach in New York state counties enrolled in the healing communities study","volume":"169","author":"Grealis","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Subst. Use Addict. Treat."}],"container-title":["Pharmacy"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2226-4787\/14\/1\/3\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]],"date-time":"2025-12-24T12:46:07Z","timestamp":1766580367000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2226-4787\/14\/1\/3"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]]},"references-count":37,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2]]}},"alternative-id":["pharmacy14010003"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/pharmacy14010003","relation":{},"ISSN":["2226-4787"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2226-4787","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]]}}}