Dr. Goo and DKICP cited in Hawaiʻi Opioid Initiative insert

To provide information to residents about how state organizations are addressing the opioid epidemic, the State of Hawaiʻi and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health produced a 24-page insert that appeared in a recent Sunday edition of the Honolulu Star Advertiser. DKICP’s Dr. Roy Goo was one of several experts quoted in the publication.

Goo, who is associate professor and department chair of Pharmacy Practice, is also serving as co-chair of the state’s Prescriber Education and Pain Management working group. The group’s objectives include developing an increased understanding of the benefits and risks of opioids, increased awareness of unsafe opioid use, expanded patient use of alternative treatment options, and improved patient access to overdose treatment.

In the article titled “A look at improving prescription practices,” Goo notes that there is a lot of conflicting information and misinformation about opioids and changes in the way pain is managed. “Our working group tries to educate providers about the appropriate use of opioids, about appropriate pain management and how to help patients manage complex pain syndromes.”

The insert also features a story about how the Hawaiʻi Opioid Initiative has helped to train pharmacists in prescribing and dispensing naloxone to treat an opioid overdose, after the state legislature passed a bill allowing it in 2019. The article notes that the naloxone training program was developed by DKICP faculty and staff, and has been presented to pharmacists throughout the state.