Pharmacy-led naloxone outreach expands access across Geisinger communities

Geisinger pharmacy teams are expanding naloxone access through community-based outreach, education, and public-access boxes, helping families, neighbors, and bystanders be ready to respond when minutes matter.

Jamie Kerestes

Community Outreach | Medication Safety

Each August, as communities across the country recognize overdose awareness efforts, Geisinger Enterprise Pharmacy teams help bring a practical, potentially lifesaving resource directly to the people who may need it most: naloxone.

What began in 2022 as a local outreach event at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre has grown into a regional, multidisciplinary effort spanning Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and Lewistown. Led by pharmacy and supported by emergency medicine, addiction medicine, behavioral health, recovery specialists, communications, Geisinger Marworth, Free2BMom, and community partners, the annual events make naloxone easier to access, easier to understand, and easier to see as a normal part of community safety.

Building from one site to several communities

The first naloxone event brought together pharmacy, emergency medicine, and addiction medicine colleagues around a shared goal: expanding Geisinger’s support for community members affected by opioid use and overdose risk. Pharmacy leaders worked with clinical and community partners to determine where the event should be held, what resources should be available, and how Geisinger could reach people beyond the walls of the hospital.

That planning has continued each year. The group typically begins meeting in January and continues through August, refining logistics, location, and partner participation for each event. The first year’s hospital-based location offered important lessons. While turnout was strong, the team recognized that some community members may be more comfortable accessing naloxone in public spaces that feel less clinical and more familiar.

That insight has shaped the program’s evolution. In 2026, events were held across three community locations. Lackawanna County Courthouse Square in Scranton provided a visible community location, while the Wilkes-Barre Farmers Market offered a high-foot-traffic setting that may inform future planning. In Lewistown, the event aligned with the Centre County Grange Fair, giving the team a dedicated space within a well-attended regional gathering.

Normalizing naloxone as a community safety tool

A central aim of outreach is to help normalize naloxone as a community safety resource. Like a fire extinguisher, naloxone is something no one hopes to use but having it nearby can make all the difference in an emergency.

That message matters because opioid overdose risk is not limited to one group of people or one circumstance. It may involve illicit substances, prescription medications, relapses in the course of a chronic disease, or an unexpected reaction after a medical procedure. By offering naloxone in approachable community settings, the team reduces stigma and reinforces a practical message: anyone can be prepared to respond.

The events also create opportunities for education. Geisinger team members, Wilkes University pharmacy students, and Geisinger College of Health Sciences medical students explain when and how to administer naloxone, why each box contains two doses, what to do after giving it, and when to call 911. Education also reassures community members that naloxone can be given when an overdose is suspected, even if the situation is uncertain.

Measuring impact in boxes distributed and stories shared

The distribution totals demonstrate the reach of the effort. Pharmacy teams typically bring about 200 boxes of naloxone to each event. This year, the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton events distributed approximately 350 boxes combined, representing about 700 doses. Lewistown distributed a little more than 100 boxes, consistent with its early experience since joining the effort.

The numbers show the reach of the effort, but the individual stories underscore its purpose. Community members have shared experiences of using naloxone to save a loved one. Others have described recovery, treatment at Geisinger facilities, and the role that services such as Geisinger Marworth can play in helping people rebuild their lives. Those conversations give outreach a human dimension that cannot be captured by distribution totals alone.

Pharmacy at the center of a multidisciplinary effort

Although naloxone outreach depends on partnership across disciplines and with community organizations, pharmacy has remained central to planning and execution. Pharmacy team members coordinate logistics, secure state-supplied nasal naloxone, support event operations, and sustain the program’s momentum year after year.

That role extends beyond the annual events. Geisinger also maintains “Barney boxes,” the purple public-access naloxone boxes placed at several sites across the system and in some community medicine locations. Stocked with state-supplied naloxone and supported by pharmacy oversight, the boxes provide another way to make naloxone available when and where it may be needed.

Looking ahead

Future planning will likely continue to focus on visibility and access. Rather than relying only on standalone events or hospital-based locations, the team is considering how to meet people where they already are, including farmers markets, fairs, and other community gatherings held around overdose awareness activities at the end of August.

For Geisinger Enterprise Pharmacy, the work reflects a broader commitment to public health, medication safety, and community partnership. Naloxone distribution may begin with a box handed across a table, but its impact can reach far beyond the event itself. It gives families, neighbors, and bystanders one more way to respond when minutes matter.