National Harm Reduction Coalition creates spaces for dialogue and action that help heal the harms caused by racialized drug policies. |
+ NHRC BOARD WELCOMES NEW TREASURER: We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Jean-Paul Ngambi as the new National Harm Reduction Coalition (NHRC) Board of Directors Treasurer. Jean-Paul is an immigrant from France who is originally from Cameroon. With over 15 years of extensive experience in global treasury, financial management, and cash flow operations, Jean-Paul brings a wealth of expertise to our organization. His distinguished career includes senior roles such as executive director of finance & treasury at Keye Morse Growth Partners LLC and treasurer at Eden Equipment Co. Jean-Paul's dedication to equity and social justice, combined with his Certified Treasury Professional designation, align perfectly with our goals and hopes for NHRC's future. His commitment to sharing his expertise and guiding our organization toward maximizing support for our programs and communities makes him an invaluable addition to our team. We are excited to welcome Jean-Paul and look forward to his contributions to our mission. Learn more about Jean-Paul and the rest of the NHRC board and staff here.
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+ PRIDE AND HARM REDUCTION MOVEMENTS ARE RESISTANCE: Much like Pride, the harm reduction movement was born out of resistance, led by the LGBTQIA+ community. Without LGBTQIA+ activists who made a way out of no way, harm reduction would not exist. As we close out Pride Month, we’re called to continue to keep the heart of the movement alive. Our collective liberation is deeply intertwined, and it's on all of us to ensure our radical love is loud, our interconnection is our strength, and our solidarity moves us closer toward creating a world where LGBTQIA+ folks are safe, honored, and free to thrive. Learn more about the incredible work of NHRC's Lighthouse Learning Collective, which offers space for strategy, support, and resources for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming people (LGB/TGNC+) who use drugs here.
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+ CELEBRATING BLACK JOY AND RESILIENCE: We celebrated Black joy and resilience as well as the importance of rest this Juneteenth and will continue to every day after that, and encourage you to do the same while supporting and centering Black-led organizations in your community! We closed June 17 through June 21 in observance of Juneteenth as a period of institutional pause and rest. We’re back and look forward to reconnecting!
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+ FATHERS WHO USE/USED DRUGS DESERVE TO BE HOME: This past Father’s Day, we were thinking about the dads who are incarcerated because of the so-called "War on Drugs," aka a war on people, and those who spent time in jail away from their loved ones. Our hearts are heavy knowing so many fathers and father figures who had their lives cut short by overdose, and honor their memory.
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+ SHOW UP FOR AAPI COMMUNITIES: As we closed out Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the end of May, we noted how imperative it is we acknowledge the severe lack of AAPI representation in the harm reduction movement and beyond. This is unacceptable, and we must collectively change this in part by lifting up the incredible life-saving work of AAPI communities and organizations on the ground.
Learn more about AAPI harm reduction resources and perspectives from NHRC's Lighthouse Learning Collective collaboration with Sam Wu of SPARC (Sex Workers Promoting Action, Risk Reduction, and Community Mobilization) here. |
+ CONFERENCES AND EVENTS: -
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: Animal Sedative Linked to US Overdoses Spurs Call for More SF Drug Monitoring — As NHRC Executive Director Laura Guzman pointed out in this KQED coverage, each time a new drug enters the supply, elected officials point their attention to the latest drug rather than focusing on dedicating resources to those who need them most to save lives.
“The drug supply continues to be very unsettling and scary because we keep criminalizing new synthetics that will keep appearing, and we don’t have a safe supply...The drug supply is so tainted and reinforces itself with new synthetics, and that’s why drug checking is critical," she said.
+ NEWS: U.S. Overdose Deaths Decline for First Time Since 2018 — While there has been a slight decline in reported overdose deaths, one overdose death is one too many, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) folks who use drugs are dying at significantly higher rates. We must expand harm reduction services — aka health care — and access to other basic needs to keep people alive, safer, and healthier.
As noted by NHRC's Director of Overdose Prevention Policy and Strategy Mary Sylla in The Wall Street Journal, the decrease in overdose deaths is "the direction we want to be going...I just hope we can continue the trend, and I hope we double-down on the evidence-based interventions that save peoples’ lives."
+ NEWS: Arrests at North Carolina Methadone Clinic Raise Ethical, Legal Alarms — Health care is a human right, as is the safety and privacy of patients receiving care. The arrests of people at a North Carolina methadone clinic for doing their jobs and receiving needed health care is wrong, and sets a dangerous precedent. We cannot stand for this.
"SUD treatment and harm reduction services have been subject to recent police surveillance—including suspected undercover officers enrolling in programs, and police parking near the entrance, for hours at a time, 'doing paperwork.'...This type of police surveillance really undermines individuals’ ability to safely access the continuum of services, and jeopardizes individuals’ health and recovery,'" as reported in this Filter coverage.
+ NEWS: Harm reduction in New Orleans, from pavement up — Harm reduction is love in action. Every day, harm reductionists save lives, prevent diseases, provide stigma-free health care, and treat people who use drugs with respect and dignity. This story in The Tulane Hullabaloo shows a glimpse of what organizations like Trystereo are doing on the ground, and how loving care folks provide can make all the difference.
“Not creating stigma can just be words we use, but to actually see their effects, where this person feels comfortable coming to us when they’re really good and still comfortable enough that we’ll embrace them the same way coming back, those things do feel really beautiful,” as noted in the coverage. Read more about Trystereo and hear perspectives from NHRC's CA Data Manager, Luka Bair, on the drug supply, the "War on Drugs" — aka a war on people — and its impacts in the story.
+ NEWS: ‘The biggest barrier is us’: Existence of overdose prevention centers in Mass. slowed by stigma — While disparities and access to life-saving resources differ across communities, the overdose epidemic impacts people everywhere — including in the neighborhoods of people with "not in my backyard" (NIMBY) attitudes. More communities are pushing back on those attitudes, working to bring evidence-backed overdose prevention centers (OPCs) to their areas while noting their proven successes.
“Drug use is happening all the time. It is happening as we are speaking right now, somewhere in our community...There’s no such thing as ‘not in my backyard’ because you can turn a blind eye but it is already there," this coverage in The Greenfield Recorder notes. |
+ DAY OF ACTION DRAWS HUNDREDS: Over 200 community members and service providers came together with End the Epidemics, California Syringe Exchange Program (CASEP), and Stop the Raids Coalitions for this year's Day of Action at the capitol in Sacramento, CA. The coalitions brought together folks advocating for access to vital health care services and medicine and discussed how to end HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases (STIs), and overdose with legislators. Meeting with representatives, advocates named the importance of advancing legislation that would support our communities and opposing bills that would cause further harm. It was a day of educating, rallying as a beautiful community through collective wellness, and whole-hearted advocacy for the individuals we serve and live with in our communities. Look for opportunities to get involved in next year's Day of Action with End the Epidemics, CASEP, and Stop the Raids!
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Photos courtesy of Brooke Anderson, Movement Photography |
+ 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). 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 AND REPORTS:
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, in English and now Spanish, which cover safer use, stimulants 101, and wound care. ¡Chequea los nuevos módulos en Español sobre Uso Seguro, Estimulantes 101, y Cuidado de Heridas!
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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 is thrilled to continue offering 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, "LGB/TGNC 101," happening tomorrow, June 28, click here. To sign up for the July session, "Harm Reduction 101," happening July 26, click here. Stay tuned for updates about our latest Foundational Fridays series! For more information, contact Jose Martinez at [email protected].
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