National Harm Reduction Coalition creates spaces for dialogue and action that help heal the harms caused by racialized drug policies. |
+ NHRC ANNOUNCES BOARD CHANGES: NHRC is overjoyed to announce NHRC’s Board of Directors is now led by Co-Chairpersons Rajani Gudlavalleti and Lucy Trieshmann, who have been serving on the board since 2023. We are grateful to continue the vital work of NHRC with their board leadership, and Lucy and Rajani shared they are both humbled and delighted to serve the harm reduction community in their new roles. We extend our deep gratitude to Susan Sherman, former chairperson, and Alex Kral, former vice chairperson, for two decades of service and their many contributions to the organization. Learn more about Lucy and Rajani on our website.
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+ TAKEAWAYS FROM SAMHSA’S NEW METHADONE RULES: People who use drugs who choose to seek out MOUD (Medications for Opioid Use Disorder) should be able to access these medications where, when, and how they need to. We must eliminate the barriers that stand in the way of people who use drugs and the health care they want and need. We must do better — our lives depend on it.
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+ CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH: Joy Rucker, co-founder of the Black Harm Reduction Network, understands the importance of focusing on the heart of a mission. For several decades, she's worked at the intersection of substance use, HIV, houselessness, and mental health issues. While the harm reduction movement itself has grown since Rucker first started her intersectional work, doing outreach to people who injected/inject drugs in Massachusetts and becoming one of the first NHRC trainers, she notes there is much progress to be made — particularly by, with, and for Black folks to save lives and create a world where Black people who use drugs and all Black people are free from the harms of interconnected oppressive systems and beliefs. Read more from our conversation with Rucker on the NHRC blog.
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+ HONORING THOSE WE'VE LOST TO OVERDOSE: We have lost so many beautiful souls to overdose, their dreams and lives cut short by this epidemic. As we grieved on Black Balloon Day, we honored and uplifted those no longer with us and the many loved ones left behind. They should be here. |
+ HIV IS NOT A CRIME: On HIV is Not a Crime Awareness Day, we noted that in 2024, there are still laws that criminalize people living with HIV and disproportionately impact people who use drugs, Black and Latine/x communities, and sex workers. Almost two-thirds of U.S. states have legislation criminalizing potential HIV exposure, as noted by The SERO Project — even when there is no risk of HIV transmission. We must do better by people living with HIV. This is not optional.
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+ CONFERENCES AND EVENTS: -
Harm Reduction International has announced its 2025 conference, happening April 27 through April 30, in Bogotá, Colombia. Learn more about the conference details here.
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Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction (AMERSA) is hosting its 48th annual conference Nov. 14 through Nov. 16, 2024, in Chicago. Conference registration will open in early June 2024. Visit the conference webpage via this link.
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NHRC is hosting our monthly national Peer Gathering Cohort, PeerUp, after hearing the need for peers nationally to have a space to connect, talk, and network. The 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, contact Capacity Building + Hepatitis C Coordinator, Jose Martinez, at [email protected].
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+ NEWS: ‘No public health justification’: Harm reductionists concerned as pipe ban set to go into effect —Evidence-backed harm reduction — aka health care — prevents overdose deaths and the spread of life-threatening diseases, connects people to medical care and social services, and so much more. Any legislation that walks back harm reduction support and services takes dangerous, life-threatening steps backward.
"'These laws, they aren’t about pipes or syringes or anything like that...They’re about not wanting a certain group of people around, in our communities. These laws discourage doing the things we know keep people alive and as healthy as possible,'" this story in West Virginia Watch noted.
+ NEWS: Harm reduction activists ask for a ‘seat at the table’ during City Hall rally — Every overdose represents a policy failure. Decades of health research across the U.S. and abroad and folks' lived experiences continue to show how harm reduction saves lives and keeps people healthier and safer. Despite this, evidence-backed health care has been getting push-back in Philadelphia, PA, as noted in this WHYY coverage.
"'I’m sick of my friends dying,' said Destinie Campanella, a board of directors member of Kensington based group Savage Sisters Recovery. 'It is absolutely devastating that harm reduction has seen this monumental shift backwards, and it’s really disappointing to see us fighting to keep things we already have when the needs are so big.'"
+ NEWS: Prop F will increase San Francisco’s homeless population, opponents say — Health care, housing, and bodily autonomy are human rights. Instead of focusing on the importance of this reality and how interconnected these rights are, Prop F in San Francisco, CA, will further harm and stigmatize people who are houseless — including people who use drugs. This move will lead to more death and destruction.
As NHRC Executive Director Laura Guzman noted via KRON 4 News, “What’s unfortunate is that residents are likely to see an increase in the unhoused population in the city if Measure F is implemented as described by supporters of the measure.”
+ NEWS: As xylazine surges, some lawmakers want jail time for dealers and people who use the drug — “'You can’t say that you want people to stop using drugs and then every time I call for a detox bed, there’s not a bed,' said Alixe Dittmore, the housing and shelter capacity building coordinator with the National Harm Reduction Coalition," as reported by Stateline and the outlet's coverage on moves to criminalize xylazine use and expand the "War On Drugs," aka a war on people.
She continued, "'We have incredibly punitive and prohibitive services...You really have to holistically look at it when you’re worried about how many folks are passing away.'"
+ NEWS: Oregon’s Making a Terrible Mistake in Rebooting the Drug War — "This recriminalization is dangerous. We’ve been down this road before. More than 50 years of evidence demonstrates that locking people up for possessing drugs or forcing them into court-ordered programs does not end drug use, but it does increase harms, including death," Drug Policy Alliance's Executive Director, Kassandra Frederique, pointedly notes about the rollback of Measure 110 in Oregon. Read the full piece in The Daily Beast here.
+ NEWS: Why harm reduction is more about ending stigma than syringes and naloxone — Harm reduction is radical love, health care, and life-saving support. As noted in this excerpt published in Salon, "Harm reduction programs clearly fill a gap in our communities because, unlike many parts of our healthcare system and criminal legal system, they not only welcome the highest-risk and most marginalized people in the door but also want them to be there."
+ NEWS: Breed blames harm reduction strategy for surging drug overdose deaths — Harm reduction is an evidence-backed set of approaches that have proven over several decades to reduce overdose deaths and minimize negative effects of drug use, which has been backed by the CDC, SAMHSA, The National Institute on Drug Abuse — NIDA of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), American Medical Association, state health departments, and many more organizations working with and for people who use drugs in the U.S. and abroad.
"'We firmly believe harm reduction is public health and harm reduction is good for public safety,' said Laura Guzman, executive director of the National Harm Reduction Coalition. 'It really helps keep people safe. Mayor Breed has shifted. And has really gone back and forth. There is nothing that indicates anything else other than political motivation,’” as reported in The San Francisco Standard.
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+ SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HARM REDUCTION: NHRC held its first Southern California Bilingual Harm Reduction Convening in El Centro, Imperial County, in February, with over 60 participants attending the sessions. NHRC's community convening model has fostered deeper connections among stakeholders and facilitated collaborations locally, statewide, and across the U.S./Mexico border. Our goal is to develop harm reduction programs in areas considered "resource deserts," and create lasting change across the border through sustained advocacy, capacity building, and funding efforts. We deeply thank the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) for their financial support to plan and implement this convening, and CHCF Associate Director of the foundation's People-Centered Care Team, Catherine Teare. We share our gratitude to all other partners across California, Canada, and Mexico (including our partners at Verter AC), who contributed to this two-day event.
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+ NATIVE HARM REDUCTION: NHRC teamed up with Arlene Brown of the Bishop Paiute Tribe to create the Native Harm Reduction Toolkit, which was informed by tribal and urban Native people from across California and brings resources together from Indigenous harm reduction leaders across the country and beyond. Check it out here.
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+ NATIONAL SSP SURVEY RESPONSES NEEDED: Calling all Syringe Services Programs (SSPs), we need your feedback! NHRC, in collaboration with the North American Syringe Exchange Network (NASEN) and RTI International, launched the 2024 National Survey of Syringe Services Programs (NSSSP) on March 5. Tracking SSP budgets and other data over time helps us advocate for more resources. Participating programs will be mailed a $125 check after completing the survey. Check your inbox for an email invitation from [email protected], and see FAQs for more info in English and Spanish. Respond today with your experiences!
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+ RESOURCES: -
Pregnancy Justice has released a fact sheet outlining clinical drug testing of pregnant people and newborns, without their knowledge or explicit consent, and how this impacts predominantly Black women and birthing people — despite the tests being unreliable in the first place. Read more here.
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In case you missed it: NHRC’s Online Learning Center includes on-demand courses, including Foundations of Harm Reduction, Overdose Prevention and Response, Engaging People Who Use Drugs, and more. NHRC also offers free modules for NYC residents, which cover safer use, stimulants 101, and wound care.
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A new resource from the HEALing Communities Study, “Naloxone 101,” covers key questions about naloxone and addresses myths about the overdose reversal medication and harm reduction strategies in a video explainer with Dr. Alexander Walley of the Boston University School of Medicine. The HEALing Communities Study is a multi-site research study to test the integration of prevention, overdose treatment, and medication-based treatment in select communities hard hit by the opioid crisis. HEALing Communities is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative. View the video here.
- In the Works has launched its latest e-courses, covering safer drug use, making the case for harm reduction, and wound care for non-clinicians. Learn more about the courses 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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+ FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: -
Gilead COMPASS Initiative’s transformative grant applications are now open, with an April 11 applications deadline. Learn more about the grant opportunity and apply here.
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Doorway Creative is offering an opportunity for nonprofits to receive a new website and brand identity, free of charge. Apply by March 31 via the application here.
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+ CALLS FOR ABSTRACTS: AMERSA is seeking abstract submissions of recent substance use-related research and education innovations as part of the 2024 AMERSA National Conference. For more information and to submit an abstract, click here.
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+ TRAININGS AND WEBINARS: -
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, “Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) 101,” happening tomorrow, March 29, visit this link. Stay tuned for more details about the trainings, happening through June! For more information, contact Jose Martinez at [email protected]. The rest of the training schedule dates are as follows, with registration links included below:
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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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