OUR MOVEMENT IN MOTION
Dec. 21, 2023


SECTION 1: News and Announcements

+ NHRC WELCOMES NEW BOARD AND STAFF MEMBERS: Marlene Martín, MD, NHRC's newest board member, is an associate professor of clinical medicine at University of California San Francisco (UCSF), a hospitalist at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH), and the director of addiction initiatives for the UCSF Latinx Center of Excellence where she collaborates with Latine community-based organizations to co-develop, implement, and evaluate a community health worker Program for Education in Drugs and Alcohol for Latine (PEDAL). She is also the founding director of Addiction Care Team, a hospital-based group that provides care focused on harm reduction, evidence-based services, and linkage to care for patients who use drugs. Marlene is drawn to medicine to address health inequities and social injustices, and her interests lie in systems improvement and innovation with a focus on addiction, community partnerships, Latine health, and care transitions. Her bilingual and bicultural Mexican immigrant background drew her to work in the safety net.

Jamina Hackett has joined the NHRC team as the director of capacity building and community mobilization. With over a decade of experience in the field of public and behavioral health, Jamina started her journey in harm reduction in Fresno, CA, working as an HIV health educator and a drug rehab evaluator. Jamina worked in Santa Clara, CA, for public health and behavioral health departments, where she was at the forefront of implementing policy systems changes, enhanced STD/HIV prevention and education, and oversaw the creation and implementation of the county's newest cutting-edge mobile crisis response program. The program was brought to life as a direct response to the community's heartfelt plea for an alternative to traditional police responses.

Oliver Dolan, NHRC's new DOPE Project capacity building logistics coordinator, is a trans harm reductionist passionate about community care, abolition, and centering the work around the most oppressed among us. Oliver’s professional and personal focus has been in public health, harm reduction, trans/queer sexual and mental health, and crisis intervention. He is the founder of Trans Needle Exchange, a national mail-based service providing hormone injection supplies to trans folks all over the country.

Learn more about Marlene, Jamina, Oliver, and the rest of our team here.

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+ NHRC ADDRESSES CHANGES TO NHRTAC: NHRC is no longer affiliated with the National Harm Reduction Technical Assistance Center (NHRTAC). NHRC was previously funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) directly to be part of the NHRTAC, though that ended on November 30, 2023.

NHRC chose not to proceed with entering into a subcontract agreement with the CDC's new contractor, despite engaging in negotiations in good faith over a few months. NHRC could not, in good conscience, enter into an agreement that could have an adverse impact on our harm reduction community, mission, and our organization. Additionally, our collaborative NHRTAC partners, NASTAD and the University of Washington (UW), also opted not to proceed with subcontracts to the new organization.

Looking ahead to the new year, we are strategically and actively planning on sustaining and supporting our national harm reduction initiatives. We want to express our love and appreciation for your dedication and support. We see and acknowledge your efforts and are committed to ensuring harm reduction work is recognized and valued. We will keep you informed on new developments as we enter 2024. Read our full statement here.

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+ A NOTE OF GRATITUDE: Thank you to everyone who rallied behind NHRC on November 28, making GivingTuesday 2023 a tremendous success. Your support fuels our life-saving work, demonstrating that together we can make a profound difference in the lives of the people we serve and the communities we empower. As we approach the year's end, let's continue this momentum.

Your donation to NHRC is a lifeline. By contributing to NHRC, you directly contribute to saving lives. With your support, we ensure naloxone and other life-saving tools reach those who need them most. At the local, state, and national levels, we advocate for policies that prioritize lives over stigmatization. Your contribution helps us build strength and resilience in communities disproportionately affected by the misguided “War on Drugs” — a war on people.

Harm reduction saves lives, and NHRC is harm reduction! Every contribution makes a difference – let's make an impact together!

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+ SHOWING UP AS ALLIES IN THE SOUTH: We're thrilled to share NHRC's State Policy Coordinator, Dewayne Murrell, was the recipient of Headliners Memphis's 2023 Visionary Award, a recognition given to a LGBTQIA+ person whose work has created opportunities that will have long-lasting benefits in the mid-South LGBTQIA+ community.

Dewayne shared, "My life's work has been to create a freer, more just environment for all LGBTQIA+ people, and my commitment to trans rights in the south has been a labor of love with vigor."



+ MEMORIALIZING TRANS PEOPLE WE'VE LOST: We held grief in our hearts as we commemorated Trans Day of Remembrance, remembering all those whose lives were cut short by violence. These devastating losses leave holes in our hearts, and are stark reminders of our collective responsibility to create a world where trans people can thrive without experiencing anti-trans violence, oppression, and harassment.



+ HONORING INDIGENOUS HERITAGE: We have much to learn from Indigenous communities worldwide, including life-saving and life-affirming harm reduction best practices. As we celebrated Indigenous Heritage Month, held each November, we are compelled to ensure communities are not limited when leading their own supportive services for people who use drugs — and all people.



+ CONFERENCES AND EVENTS: 

-NHRC is hosting our monthly Peer Gathering Cohort, now known as PeerUp, after hearing the need for peers nationally to have a space to connect, talk, and network. The cohort sessions — which take place the first Monday of each month — are open to peers with lived/living experience only at no cost, and folks from around the U.S. are welcome to join. Together, we'll work to build a support system through the states. Come as you are, this will be a non-judgmental space! To join, email NHRC’s Capacity Building + Hepatitis C Coordinator, Jose Martinez, at [email protected].



+ NEWS: One woman's controversial fight to make America accept drug users for who they are — It's really this simple, as Louise Vincent of the Urban Survivors Union says: "I believe that people who use drugs deserve to be treated with dignity and respect."

There shouldn't be anything controversial about that, or meeting the health needs of people who use drugs. Check out the full coverage by NPR.

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+ NEWS: Inside a safe injection site that could be a model for Massachusetts — OnPoint NYC is coming up on 100,000 utilizations of its overdose prevention centers.

"'What that means for two neighborhoods in New York, 100,000 times people would have used in their community (and instead) used inside with us. We’ve been around two years now. And the impact is everything we expected and more,' Rivera said...'We’re keeping beautiful people alive.'" Reporting as seen via MassLive.

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+ NEWS: ICYMI: With Xylazine, Congress Must Abandon Long-Failed Drug Policies — Harm reduction supports the health needs and humanity of people who use drugs. To continue rolling out punitive tactics is to ensure overdoses will steal more and more lives every day.

"Since 1971, when the government launched the 'War on Drugs,' harsh laws have consistently backfired. Incarceration rates have skyrocketed, drug use has not declined, and overdose deaths have increased practically every year. Punishing people for using drugs does not help them to stay safe...Instead, attaching criminal-legal threats to substance use makes people afraid to seek help, and encourages them to buy and use drugs in riskier ways." Check out the full story in Filter here.

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+ NEWS: Why I Have Hope for South Carolina Harm Reduction in 2024 — People who use drugs and harm reductionists in southern U.S. states can face layered barriers to support, access to resources, and funding — including bans on basic, evidence-backed harm reduction health care, including syringe services programs (SSPs). Despite this, advocates continue to press on, working to bring life-saving harm reduction services to their communities.

As read in Filter, the recent South Carolina Harm Reduction and Syringe Service Programs Symposium was described as "a breath of fresh air in an environment still struggling to embrace evidence-based practices... [the event] made me feel like there is hope for South Carolina.”

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SECTION 2: Emergent and Exciting Work

+INTERMOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE : NHRC’s Director of National Capacity Building, Tanagra Melgarejo, was the keynote speaker at the Inaugural Intermountain West Harm Reduction Conference in Salt Lake City, UT. The keynote was titled, “People Who Use Drugs to the Front! Decolonizing and Reclaiming the History and Foundations of Harm Reduction.” The intermountain region includes UT, NV, ID, WY, WA, MT, CO, and AZ. NHRC has been doing work in the region, specifically WY, for several years.


+ HONORING OUR ROOTS ON WORLD AIDS DAY: NHRC teamed up with the Drug Policy Alliance to honor how the roots of the harm reduction movement began 30+ years ago, with activists who wanted to stop people from dying of AIDS — including people who use drugs. These changemakers saved lives, and harm reduction continues to do just that today, though there is more work to do. Learn more about the movement's history here.

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+ RESOURCES:

-NHRC, NHRC’s DOPE Project, and San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) are happy to introduce and roll out the Overdose Prevention and Harm Reduction Education in Shelters and Housing Initiative (OPHRESH) on January 9, 2024. This two-year contract aims to provide virtual training, technical assistance, and support to all HSH-funded service providers toward integrating harm reduction and overdose prevention (ODP) policies and frameworks as well as enhancing learning and engagement in harm reduction and overdose prevention to reduce overdose deaths in housing and the Homelessness Response System (HRS). Looking for assistance? Click here to submit a request.

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-OnPoint NYC has released its baseline annual report, which shares a glimpse of its operations at its Overdose Prevention Centers (OPCs). Since launching in Nov. 2021, the OPCs have saved countless lives and directed thousands of community members to vital services to improve the quality of their lives. Learn more about the first year of operations and the incredible impact in helping tackle the overdose crisis. Read the report here.

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-HIV.gov has announced its redesigned America's HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard (AHEAD), which tracks the progress of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US (EHE) initiative. See the dashboard here.

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-NHRC requests organizations 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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+ TRAININGS AND WEBINARS:

-NHRC’s Lighthouse Learning Collective's queer harm reduction training series, Lighthouse Learning Series, is back! Running through February 2024, there will be one session each month. Remaining sessions include Queer History of Harm Reduction part 2 and Abolition & Harm Reduction. Register here for the next session, happening Jan. 12, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. EST. For information about other sessions and recordings of previous webinars, click here. Most sessions will be recorded and all will have live ASL interpretation. Priority will be given to those living and working in NYC due to program scope, but those who would like to build on their harm reduction knowledge to provide better service to LGB/TGNCNB (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual/Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Non-Binary) folks are welcome to register.

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-NHRC is thrilled to offer monthly Foundational Fridays training sessions, which focus on building basic knowledge about various intersectional public health issues. The free sessions, running from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. EST the last Friday of each month, are for providers, peers, and anyone in the harm reduction community as well as anyone looking to learn more about the field. To sign up for the next session happening tomorrow, Dec. 22, visit this link. Stay tuned for more details about the trainings, happening through June of next year! For more information, contact Jose Martinez at [email protected]. The rest of the training schedule dates are as follows, with registration links included in hyperlinks below:

Syringe Access 101 - Jan. 26
Dismantling Drug-Related Stigma 101 - Feb. 23 
MOUD 101 - March 29
HCV 101 - April 26
Drugs 101 - May 31
LGB/TGNC 101 - June 28

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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! Become a Harm Reduction Champion Today.

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SECTION 3: Work for the Movement

+ Community Health of Action of Staten Island (CHASI) is hiring a HIV Patient Navigator.

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+ Fund for Public Health NYC is looking for an Evaluation Manager.

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+ GLIDE SF is looking to fill several roles, including:
-Harm Reduction Case Manager
-Health Programs Manager
-Health Systems Navigator

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+ New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is hiring a Wellness Advocate.

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+NEXT Distro is searching for an Executive Director and Resource Navigator

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+ UCLA Health is looking for a Director of Summit Behavioral Health Services.

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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.


National Harm Reduction Coalition
243 Fifth Avenue
Box 529
New York, NY 10016
United States

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