FARGO — The ONE Program, an opioid harm prevention program through the North Dakota State University School of Pharmacy, recently received a $500,000 grant through the distribution of federal funds by the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services. according to an NDSU press release. The grant will support opioid harm reduction efforts across North Dakota and can be renewed annually for three years.

Title “Opioid and Naloxone Education: A National Approach to Opioid Harm Prevention” the grant will be used over the next year to:

— Screen patients for opioid risks and provide education and interventions at 75 community pharmacies across North Dakota.

— Increase access to naloxone in public places and on campuses across the state.

— Educate North Dakota university and college students about opioid safety.

— Improving medication safety and opioid harm reduction efforts for patients through nursing home care, community paramedics and incarcerated people.

— Establish safe and convenient distribution of medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder.

For the past six years, the ONE program has been funded by the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services. Pilot funding was provided by various state and local agencies and foundations.

The ONE program began in 2018 in North Dakota. It helps pharmacists use proactive tools to impact drug overdose deaths. The ONE program has expanded to pharmacies in West Virginia, Idaho and a pilot project in Minnesota. The ONE program also includes providing opioid harm reduction efforts to North Dakota home health programs, correctional facilities, colleges and universities, collaborations with local public health units, and collection and the dissemination of evidence-based data.