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Tracey Leary: On the Front Lines of Drug Abuse

On July 15, 2015, as part of an effort to combat prescription opioid and heroin abuse in Connecticut, Public Act 15-198, An Act Concerning Substance Abuse and Opioid Overdose Prevention, was signed into law. A key component of the law allows pharmacists to prescribe a drug called naloxone—commonly known by its brand name, Narcan—which instantly reverses the suffocating effects of heroin and opioids and can save someone from a potentially fatal overdose.

The program was the first of its kind in the nation, and Tracey Leary, pharmacy supervisor for ShopRite, was the first to bring it to Clinton.

“What I hope to accomplish,” she says, “is that people in this town realize that there is an opioid problem. We need to work together to combat this problem, but also I want people to know that they can come in and receive a Narcan kit that someday may save someone’s life.”

While pharmacists have always been allowed to dispense naloxone, those who successfully complete a two-hour course through UConn’s School of Pharmacy become certified to prescribe naloxone to patients and caregivers in Connecticut and train people in its use. This ability to prescribe puts an added measure of responsibility on pharmacists, who can also serve as a portal for patients into the substance abuse treatment system. Because of their frontline status in communities—they interact regularly with patients, families, and caregivers—pharmacists are viewed as a pivotal link in community healthcare.

The Naloxone Certification Course for Pharmacists was developed collaboratively by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control Division, Connecticut Pharmacists Association, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, UConn School of Pharmacy, University of St. Joseph School of Pharmacy, Yale New Haven Hospital, The Apt Foundation, Hartford Hospital, Beacon Pharmacy in Bristol, the Connecticut State Medical Society, and Connecticut Commission of Pharmacy.

“When the state of Connecticut introduced this online certification, I jumped at the opportunity,” says Tracey, who is the pharmacy supervisor not only for ShopRite’s Clinton store but also its New London and Norwich locations.

Besides getting certified herself, she had her team of pharmacists certified as well.

“This means that we can dispense Narcan to those individuals who have a need or want to have Narcan on hand. Patients don’t need a prescription; they can simply come in and ask for Narcan. My pharmacists will dispense a life-saving Narcan kit and also personally train each individual in how to use it.”

In 2015, 723 people died in Connecticut from drug overdoses; 415 of those deaths were heroin-related, and in 107 cases, fentanyl—a synthetic opiate—was involved. Heroin and opioid overdoses have reached epidemic proportions, says Tracey. Naloxone can give people another chance.

“I know that Narcan is not correcting the drug problem in this state,” she says, “but if I can save someone’s life, I am most definitely going to try.”

A UConn alumna, Tracey graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy in 1993. Though she finished school more than 20 years ago, Tracey says, medical interventions, our understanding of them, and the laws around them haven’t stopped evolving—so while a pharmacist’s license is renewed every two years in Connecticut, the state requires that pharmacists complete 15 hours of continuing education credits every year.

“I decided to become a pharmacist because when I was a senior at Morgan, my biology teacher, Mr. Fragola, was a pharmacist. He was the one who got me interested. I knew I wanted to do something in the science field, and I enjoyed helping people. At the time, there was a great need for pharmacists, and there were many employment opportunities. Becoming a pharmacist gave me the opportunity to work in retail, in a hospital setting, or in industry. Over the years, I’ve worked for CVS, Yale University, and Stop & Shop.”

Working for a local, family-owned and -operated business is a perk, she says.

“I know every customer by their first names. I’m never too busy to help someone or answer a question. This is what I went to school for, helping patients and giving them the best health and illness advice possible.”

There have been awkward moments at the counter, too, she admits.

“I get a lot of constipation questions, or patients who feel the need to show me parts of their bodies because of some sort of rash. Patients will lift their shirts—or drop their pants. And of course there are always the phone calls about Viagra.”

A Clinton native, Tracey graduated from The Morgan School in 1988.

“I was actually class president,” she says. “I played volleyball and basketball and ran track at Morgan.”

She also played the alto saxophone, which she took up in middle school and never put down.

Tracey’s parents still live in Clinton, in the same house where she grew up, and she and her husband and children make their home here too.

“It’s great living and working in the same town I grew up in. It’s that small-town atmosphere that I love. My son, Ethan, is in the 6th grade at Eliot, and my daughter, Ashley, is in 4th grade at Pierson.”

Like his mother, Ethan plays alto sax, and Ashley plays the trumpet.

“It’s pretty funny. We have our own little band.”

When school’s out, says Tracey, “I love to go camping with my family. Every year, we go down to Ocean City, Maryland. We have a large Doberman, Klaus, who’s part of the family. We take him everywhere.”

Tracey and her employer are involved in Clinton’s Partners in Community, which promotes healthy choices among young people.

“Growing up in Clinton and also raising a family in this town makes me feel very proud to be part of an organization that is helping today’s youth. We care about our community, and we will do what it takes to make this town great.”