National Harm Reduction Coalition creates spaces for dialogue and action that help heal the harms caused by racialized drug policies. |
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+ NHRC BOARD MEMBER UPDATES: With gratitude and excitement, we have some news to share about transitions within our board of directors. NHRC extends our profound appreciation to Marcia McIntosh, who has transitioned out of the NHRC board. As noted by board members, “Marcia has given so many gifts to the NHRC Board and organization over the past five years. Her kindness, wisdom, finance skills, and compassion were apparent in any interaction with her. She has an infectious smile that was a joy to experience. Her guiding principle of acting with grace should be a north star for us all. In moments of great movement, she was a constant anchor keeping us all tethered to the mission. We are so grateful for her service to the board, the organization, and to the broader harm reduction community.”
As Marcia transitions out of her role, we are thrilled to welcome another member to our board of directors family, Shantwina (Shan) Hicks, who will serve as NHRC's new board treasurer. Shan graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor's degree in finance and went on to earn an M.B.A and C.P.A. She currently serves as vice president of finance with Morgan Stanley in Alpharetta, GA. During her career, she has worked for firms including Charles Schwab, ACS State Healthcare, AIG, SunTrust Bank, Deutsche Bank, and The Siegfried Group performing a range of accounting, tax, and managerial consulting functions. Shan was also an adjunct lecturer in the Stan Ross Department of Accountancy at Baruch College City University of New York. Shan has served on the board of directors of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York, Manhattan/Bronx chapter of the NYSSCPAs, and as co-chairperson to the tax practitioners committee of the Practice and Procedures Conference. Her interest in community and diversity is displayed through her service. She is a member of Morgan Stanley’s Black Employee Network and serves as regional lead for Morgan Stanley’s Women in Finance Committee, and has served on the Deutsche Bank Multi-Cultural Partnership Steering Committee and Women On Wall Street Professional Development Committee. Her passion for Girl Scouts runs deep — Shan was raised in Alabama and Georgia where she was also a Girl Scout. Since 2008, Shan has served as a Girl Scout volunteer where she began as a co-leader of a junior troop in Queens. She moved on to support multiple levels on scouting. Shan has also served as cookie manager, service unit manager, association chairperson, borough program committee, trainer/facilitator, council delegate, and national delegate. Most importantly, she is a single mother to two elementary-aged children who are budding advocates for change in their community.
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+ SEX WORK ≠ HUMAN TRAFFICKING: There are many similarities between the horrific impacts of the "War on Drugs" and the ways in which sex workers — particularly Black trans sex workers — are policed and harmed by carceral systems, putting them at risk for sexual violence and removing protections they've built for themselves. This Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), we lifted up this reality as well as how survivors of human trafficking are arrested, criminalized, and harmed by the carceral system, by highlighting excerpts from the book, "Towards Bodily Autonomy: A Healing Anthology Decolonizing Sex Work and Drug Use," compiled by Justice Rivera.
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+ NSSSP SURVEYS: Calling all Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) — We need your feedback! The 2023 National Survey of Syringe Services Programs, launched with the North American Syringe Exchange Network (NASEN) and RTI International, is open! Tracking SSP budgets and data over time helps us advocate for more resources. Respond today with your experiences! Participating programs will be mailed a $125 check after completing the survey. Check your inbox for an email invitation from NASEN, and see more info with this FAQ link.
+ HRI23: Members of the NHRC team participated in the Harm Reduction International (HRI) Conference in Melbourne, Australia, where over 80 countries were represented. Stay tuned for more to come in our upcoming enewsletter!
+ CONFERENCES AND EVENTS: -
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council conference begins May 15 in Baltimore, where NHRC will be talking about harm reduction practices to support people who use drugs who are experiencing homelessness. The full-day harm reduction pre-conference session covers strategies for dismantling stigma, exploring language and policies that support people who use drugs, in-depth breakout sessions, and where the harm reduction movement is headed. NHRC is collaborating with programs in Puerto Rico for the pre-conference, and will be providing a breakout session titled, "The Intersection of Homelessness, Drug Use, and Diverse Latinx Communities: Language Justice, Immigration, and Successful Engagement." The session will be presented in Spanish, with an English translator. For more info about the session and full conference, check out this link.
The International Drug Policy Reform Conference, hosted by the Drug Policy Alliance, is happening in Phoenix, AZ from Wednesday, Oct. 18, through Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Learn more about the conference here, and click this link to register.
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+ RX SUMMIT: Joining the New and Emerging Leadership Cohort at the Rx Drug Summit in Atlanta, NHRC's National Capacity Building and Technical Assistance Team held presentations on the importance of healing-centered engagement supporting the empowerment of people who use drugs, the effectiveness of harm reduction, and mobilizing faith communities for harm reduction to prevent overdose and reduce stigma.
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+ NEWS: Fentanyl test strips can save lives, but they're not legal everywhere — NHRC's Hepatitis C + Harm Reduction Associate, Jose Martinez, spoke with FOX47 about fentanyl test strips being an important tool in saving lives, though he noted testing kits are not a cure-all. "We want to make sure that these tools and services get into the hands of the community that needs it the most, who are affected by overdose," Martinez said. "It does save lives."
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+ NEWS: Local, national harm reduction organizations ask for essential grant extension — The reality is this: "A lot more people are going to die from overdoses if harm reduction funding stops." The California Harm Reduction Initiative (CHRI) has funded almost 40 programs for nearly three years, with nearly 30,000 participants enrolled in services. With funding set to sunset this year, we must ensure this grant is extended — lives depend on it. Read the full story from the Santa Maria Sun here, which includes more from NHRC's Director of Overdose Prevention Policy & Strategy, Mary Sylla.
+ NEWS: Rhode Island to open Safe Consumption Site (SCS) — R.I.'s first SCS is expected to open in early 2024. If approved by the City of Providence this summer, the center will be run by people with lived experience and will include booths for injection and inhalation, likely becoming the country's first state-operated SCS. In November 2021, New York City began operating what are currently the only two authorized SCS in the U.S., collectively called OnPointNYC. Read more by Filter here.
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+ LIGHTHOUSE TRANS DAY OF VISIBILITY PROJECT: To help offset all of the anti-trans legislation, NHRC's Lighthouse Learning Collective is asking TGNCNB (Transgender, Gender Nonconforming, Nonbinary) folks to share what brings them joy beyond Transgender Day of Visibility (#TDOV). Comments will be posted on social media throughout the rest of the year, and folks can remain anonymous. Click here to submit.
+ FUNDING, GRANT, AND RFP OPPORTUNITIES: -
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Overdose Data to Action in States (OD2A-S) Funding will fund state health departments and the District of Columbia to expand surveillance efforts to track fatal and non-fatal overdoses, emerging drug threats, and associated risk factors as well as enhance data linkage. Applications are due by May 8, 2023, at 11:59 EST. To read more and apply, click here.
- SAMHSA's 2023 "Communities Talk" stipend cycle is underway. Click here to register, and request a stipend ASAP.
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The Creating Responsible Intelligent Black Brothers (C.R.I.B.B.) Fellowship is a year-long leadership development course for up to 10 Black gay and bisexual men between the ages of 19 and 30 who are actively involved in HIV/AIDS services, other health disparities, or social justice issues affecting Black gay and bisexual men, or who wish to become involved with addressing these challenges. The fellowship program starts on June 7 at the National African American MSM Leadership Conference on Health Disparities and Social Justice in Atlanta, GA, where fellows will attend specific workshops and institutes on leadership and professional development. From there, selected fellows will participate in hands-on activities and complete required assignments throughout the year. For more info, click here.
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The American College of Medical Toxicology is seeking RFPs for its 2024 ACMT Annual Meeting for plenary sessions, panels, professional development, and workshops. The submission deadline is Friday, May 5, 2023. To learn more, visit the RFP page.
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+ RESOURCES: -
NHRC requests organizations to add or update their information on the Naloxone Finder map in an effort to ensure the resource is up-to-date. To add a new program, click here. To update existing program information on the map, please fill out this form. We appreciate your support in spreading the word about these life-saving materials!
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Created by the Drug Policy Alliance and adopted by the Stanford REACH Lab, “Safety First: A Reality-Based Approach to Teens and Drugs” is a curriculum for high school students including accurate information that empowers teens if they choose to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, or other drugs, to reduce potential harms. Learn more about the resource here.
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+ TRAININGS: -
NHRC's Lighthouse Learning Collective is wrapping up its last learning session of the series today from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. EST, titled, "Queer History of Harm Reduction," though a recording will be shared soon. Stay tuned!
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If you support emergent and exciting work at National Harm Reduction Coalition, please join our community of monthly donors, the Harm Reduction Champions! |
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+ LEGISLATION: -
We have been heavily involved in the California Harm Reduction Initiative (CHRI) 2.0 advocacy in California, ensuring essential, life-saving funding is extended to continue offering services and support for people who use drugs and prevent overdose.
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NHRC had hoped to get a Syringe Services Program (SSP) bill passed this year in Nebraska, though this may no longer happen as the legislature was held up because of an anti-trans bill. We stand in solidarity with the trans community in Nebraska as they fight to challenge any oppressive bills.
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Hiring? Send us a note about open positions in harm reduction to [email protected] to have a job post shared here. |
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