962 - Buprenorphine Can Save Lives—If You Can Get It

Oct 13, 2025

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About this episode:

Buprenorphine is a highly effective medication used for treating opioid use disorder. But accessing this lifesaving prescription can be challenging. In this episode: Jeff Hom and Marlene Lira talk about the critical role of buprenorphine in reducing overdose deaths and the role pharmacies can play in improving access.

Guests:

Jeff Hom, MD, MPH, is the Medical Officer for Science and Policy in the Substance Use Services section of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. He is also a DrPH student in Health Policy and Bloomberg Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Marlene C. Lira, MPH, is the Senior Director of Research at Workit Health, a multi-state telemedicine treatment provider for evidence-based addiction care, and a doctoral candidate in Health Policy & Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Host:

Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

Pharmacy Barriers to Receiving Buprenorphine Among Patients Undergoing Telemedicine Addiction Treatment—JAMA Network Open
Prescribing Buprenorphine By Telehealth: Lessons From San Francisco Amidst A Changing Regulatory Landscape—Health Affairs
The New Federal Regulations Aimed Making Methadone More Accessible—And Less Stigmatizing—Public Health On Call (April 2024)

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