OUR MOVEMENT IN MOTION
July 25, 2024


SECTION 1: News and Announcements

+ NHRC APPALLED BY U.S. SUPREME COURT RULING: We are appalled by the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling criminalizing people who are houseless, a deadly and devastating decision that will cost lives — particularly for people who use drugs and their loved ones. NHRC was proud to join the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area’s amici curiae on behalf of San Francisco local leaders and civic organizations, joining over 1,000 organizations that filed 40 amicus briefs across the country in support of the rights of unhoused people.

The Grants Pass case ruling, however devastating, must reignite our commitment to challenge all structural systems that threaten our communities’ safety and health — while also helping us connect the dots and collaborate with one another in larger strategic advocacy across our movements in close partnership with people with lived and living experience of homelessness. Read our full statement here.

Link: bit.ly/NHRCOnGrantsPass


+ VT PAVES WAY FOR OVERDOSE PREVENTION CENTERS: Vermont has become one of the first states in the U.S. to authorize overdose prevention centers (OPCs), which have proven to save lives and improve health across communities! NHRC helped pass legislation that will allow for OPCs to operate in VT, in collaboration with Drug Policy Alliance, Vermont Overdose Prevention Network, and other local activists who have long been pushing for this victory. The legislation, H72, passed with overwhelming support before being vetoed by the governor. Through tri-partisan support (independent, democrat, and republican officials), the VT House and Senate overrode the veto, making the bill law.

The passage of this bill will allow for an OPC to be opened in Burlington with $1 million a year in funding from opioid settlement funds, costing nothing to taxpayers. Next, the Vermont Department of Health (VDOH) has until September of this year to develop rules and regulations for running the OPCs, and from here, one of the existing local syringe services programs (SSPs) will open and run the center. H72 also made way for the expansion of SSPs, resulting in a significant increase in funding for existing and new SSPs across the state.

In partnership with other local activists and SSP staff, NHRC will support programs through the application and implementation process and advocate for effective regulations with the VDOH for these life-saving services to be offered through best practices.

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+ SUPPORT, DON'T PUNISH: NHRC joined groups in hundreds of cities and over 80 countries commemorating #SupportDontPunish Global Day of Action, calling for worldwide leaders and communities to end the so-called "War on Drugs" — which is really a war on people — and instead promote and create sustainable alternatives founded on decriminalized frameworks and harm reduction principles. The so-called "War on Drugs" is a war on us. Learn more here.

Link: idpc.net


+ DISABILITY JUSTICE IS JUSTICE FOR PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS: Disability justice and justice for people who use drugs are deeply intertwined, and neither is possible without the other. We'll keep working to make this justice real, across zip codes and so-called borders, and demand human rights to bodily autonomy are honored. Disability Pride Month serves as a reminder for us all to continue this intersectional work and take care of one another in the process.


+ FREEDOM AND JUSTICE FOR ALL: All people deserve to live freely — free from violence, harassment, racism, and other oppressions, free to make decisions about their own bodies and futures, and free to be authentically themselves without fear. On July 4, we noted that on the observed holiday and every day after, we'll continue to work toward building a world where this vision becomes a reality for people who use drugs — and everyone.



+ CONFERENCES AND EVENTS: 

-NHRC is hosting our monthly Peer Gathering Cohort, 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: National Harm Reduction Coalition to Work on Smoking Cessation — As NHRC's Senior Director of Development and Business Strategy Anthony Salandy shared with Filter, harm reduction and smoking cessation go hand in hand. Anthony outlined how NHRC will work with Global Action to End Smoking to create and implement a campaign aiming to reduce the amount of people who smoke cigarettes.

All of this work, he noted, will be guided by, "centering people with lived and living experience and actively listening to them...Reparative justice is important to communities that have been harmed by the promotion and sale of combustible tobacco, and this work is within NHRC and Global Action’s mission.”

Check out our enewsletter’s resource section below for more about National Health Care for the Homeless Council’s (NHCHC) Clinicians’ Network’s “Healing Hands: Supporting People Experiencing Homelessness in Smoking Cessation” publication.

Link: bit.ly/NHRCSmokingCessation


+ NEWS: The need to do more to prevent overdoses among Black people in Boston — As the so-called "War on Drugs" continues, Black lives are further in danger. Each day racist drug policies continue to exist, the more people we will lose. While this story from The Boston Globe focuses on Boston, Mass., these injustices reflect what is seen — and felt — nationally.

"The root causes of this tragedy are more than a half-century in the making. The War on Drugs, which began in the early 1970s imposed mandatory minimums sentencing for drug offenses, enforced harsher punishment for crack cocaine (used more often by Black people) versus powder cocaine possession, and led to the mass incarceration of millions of Black and Latinx people. Mass incarceration has decimated families and led to poor health outcomes in communities of color. Moreover, these structurally racist policies have contributed to significant substance use stigma within Black communities. As a result, Black individuals may use in isolation and are less likely to use naloxone, a drug that reverses opioid overdose," the coverage notes.

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+ NEWS: Young gay Latinos see a rising share of new HIV cases, leading to a call for targeted funding — While overall estimated new HIV infection rates dropped from 2012 to 2022, Latine/x gay and bisexual men are being left behind. We must ensure health needs are met, resources are accessible, and stigma is shattered to reverse this course.

“...a KFF Health News-Associated Press analysis found the rate has not fallen for Latinos as much as it has for other racial and ethnic groups. While African Americans continue to have the highest HIV rates in the United States overall, Latinos made up the largest share of new HIV diagnoses and infections among gay and bisexual men in 2022, per the most recent data available, compared with other racial and ethnic groups. Latinos, who make up about 19% of the U.S. population, accounted for about 33% of new HIV infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," as noted via AP.

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+ NEWS: UN Expert Calls for an End to the Failed US-Led Global “War on Drugs” — A UN expert confirms what we know to be true: "The global 'war on drugs' led by the United States has been a costly and destructive failure that must be terminated and replaced by an approach focused on harm-reduction."

This coverage in Truthout notes, "As an alternative to incarceration and other punitive drug policies, Mofokeng urged nations to 'decriminalize the use, possession, purchase, and cultivation of drugs for personal use' and roll out ‘harm-reduction services such as needle exchange programs and opioid substitution treatment’ for those struggling."

Link: [link removed]-[LIST_EMAIL_ID]&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0J5c5XgSkkbiMH2fs35bXpfck3ZHPw2j63ESfCEOLobS5grqeQpeXeKjU_aem__6irvd2CBrG-h6MKxjaUGQ


+ NEWS: American Medical Association Endorses Drug Decriminalization — People who use drugs deserve support, not punishment. The American Medical Association (AMA)'s endorsement of drug decriminalization further shows how the decriminalization of drugs is rooted in the health and well-being of people.

“We have tried for decades to criminalize our way out of a substance use crisis in this country, and it has not worked...We need to move to something different and better—something that actually works," this coverage in Marijuana Moment details.

Link: [link removed](AMA,decriminalization%20proposal,%20345-171



SECTION 2: Emergent and Exciting Work

+ BLACK HARM REDUCTION FUTURE INCLUDES JOY, DIGNITY: Kassandra Frederique of the Black Harm Reduction Network (BHRN) and Drug Policy Alliance's executive director sat down with us to share how the BHRN’s vision has always focused on building community among Black people working against and experiencing racist drug policies and navigating through the impacts of the so-called “War on Drugs” – more accurately named a war on people, particularly Black people. She said BHRN also recognizes the power that must be built as part of the Black harm reduction evolution.

She said, “I’ve always seen the network as an opportunity for connection and power building,” and importantly, also “defiance, because there have been so many stops and starts – and part of that is structural – and the fact that we keep coming back to this means that it has to happen.”

Read the full story here.

Link: bit.ly/KassandraFrederiqueBHRN


+ A WAY OUT OF THE OVERDOSE CRISIS/UNA SALIDA A LA CRISIS DE SOBREDOSIS: NHRC’s Executive Director Laura Guzmán, NHRC Board Member Dr. Marlene Martín, and Valeska Cruz, a former community health outreach worker who lost her brother to an overdose, were guests on Radio Bilingüe’s Spanish-language talk show and community forum, "A Way Out of the Overdose Crisis." The event was held at the Brava Theater in San Francisco, CA, and broadcast nationally as part of a radio segment.

As the culminating part of the radio series "Bridging the Gap," the forum in the heart of the San Francisco neighborhood showcased Laura, Marlene, and Valeska, Latine/x women and subject matter experts in the drug overdose crisis. They responded to questions about harm reduction definitions, prevalent stigma and the related deep impacts on Latine/x families affected by overdose deaths, and highlighted the need to shine a light on our communities, provide resources to support them, and reduce harm. Listen to the recording here.

La directora ejecutiva de NHRC, Laura Guzmán, un miembro de la junta directiva de la NHRC, la Dra. Marlene Martín, y Valeska Cruz, una ex promotora de salud que perdió a su hermano por una sobredosis, fueron invitadas al programa de entrevistas en español de Radio Bilingüe y foro comunitario, "Una salida a la crisis de sobredosis." El evento se llevó a cabo en el Teatro Brava en San Francisco, CA, y se transmitió a nivel nacional como parte de un segmento de radio.

Como parte culminante de la serie de radio "Bridging the Gap," el foro en el corazón del vecindario de San Francisco presentó a Laura, Marlene y Valeska, mujeres Latine/x y expertas en la crisis de sobredosis de drogas. Respondieron a preguntas sobre definiciones sobre la reducción de daños, el estigma prevalente y los profundos impactos en las familias latinas/x afectadas por muertes por sobredosis, y destacaron la necesidad de visibilizar a nuestras comunidades, proporcionar recursos para apoyarlas y reducir el daño. Escuche la grabación aquí.

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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) earlier this year. 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 or Spanish). If you have not received a survey invitation or you can’t find yours, you can request one here. Respond today with your experiences!

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+ RESOURCES AND REPORTS:

-NHRC’s Community and Capacity Building Manager, Hiawatha Collins, was one of the post-conference working group participants involved in the report, “Liberating Methadone: A Roadmap for Change Conference Proceedings and Recommendations.”

Link: [link removed]


-Drug Policy Alliance and Human Rights Watch published the joint report, “Disrupt and Vilify”: The War on Immigrants Inside the US War on Drugs.”

Link: [link removed]


-NHCHC’s Clinicians’ Network released “Healing Hands: Supporting People Experiencing Homelessness in Smoking Cessation.” The publication highlights the impacts of cigarette smoking, vaping, and other tobacco use among people experiencing homelessness, including children, teenagers, and families as well as Indigenous communities with cultural experience with medicinal tobacco use and others experiencing social marginalization.

Link: [link removed]


-Legal Action Center and Christine Minhee of Opioid Settlement Tracker have collaborated to develop a resource to track states’ and localities’ opioid settlement grant-making opportunities. Check out the tracker here.

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-International Overdose Awareness Day, a Penington Institute Initiative, is happening August 31 this year. Learn more about the campaign and related resources, including toolkits, here.

Link: [link removed]


-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!

Links:
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bit.ly/NYCHarmReduction


-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, in collaboration with the Opioid Response Network (ORN), is excited to launch a free bilingual educational initiative aimed at people who work with people who use drugs, their families, and communities across the prevention, treatment, and recovery spectrum. This August and September, NHRC trainers will facilitate training sessions as well as office hours, a post-training reflection space following the sessions.

For us, it is vital our community has access to information about harm reduction and substance use in Spanish, since we know it can save and improve our quality of life. With this initiative, we also aim to break the supremacy of the English language in our communications, recognizing language justice as a key element of our work and activism, and develop a framework that allows us to educate ourselves about the impact of the so-called “War on Drugs” as an integral part of colonialism, structural violence, and racism our population suffers throughout the United States and its colonies.

NHRC, en colaboración con Opioid Response Network (ORN), se complace en lanzar una iniciativa educativa bilingüe gratuita dirigida a personas que trabajan con personas que consumen drogas, sus familias y comunidades en todo el espectro de prevención, tratamiento y recuperación. En agosto y septiembre, los formadores de la NHRC facilitarán las sesiones de formación, así como el horario de oficina, un espacio de reflexión posterior a la formación después de las sesiones.

Para nosotros, es vital que nuestra comunidad tenga acceso a información sobre reducción de daños y uso de sustancias en español, ya que sabemos que puede salvar y mejorar nuestra calidad de vida. Con esta iniciativa, también pretendemos romper con la supremacía del idioma inglés en nuestras comunicaciones, reconociendo la justicia lingüística como un elemento clave de nuestro trabajo y activismo, y desarrollar un marco que nos permita educarnos sobre el impacto de la mal llamada “Guerra contra las Drogas” como parte integral del colonialismo, la violencia estructural y el racismo que sufre nuestra población en todo Estados Unidos y sus colonias.

We hope you can join us and participate in the various training sessions on the following Thursdays in August and September (registration link includes descriptions)/Esperamos que pueda unirse a nosotros y participar en las diversas sesiones de capacitación los siguientes jueves de agosto y septiembre (el enlace de registro incluye descripciones):

Stigma and Substance Use/Estigma y Uso de Sustancias — August 8, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST/10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PDT/8 de agosto de 1 p.m. a 3 p.m. EST/10 a.m. a 12 p.m. PDT

Trauma and Substance Use/Trauma y Uso de Sustancias — August 15, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST/10 a.m. to 12 PDT/15 de agosto de 1 p.m. a 3 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. a 12 p.m. PDT

Overdose Prevention in BIPOC Communities/Prevención de Sobredosis en Comunidades de Color — September 5, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST/10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PDT/5 de septiembre de 1 p.m. a 3 p.m. EST/10 a.m. a 12 p.m. PDT

Effectively Engaging Peer Supports/Involucrando Eficazmente a les Pares — September 12, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST/10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PDT/12 de septiembre de 1 p.m. a 3 p.m. EST/10 a.m. a 12 p.m. PDT

Links:
bit.ly/StigmaandSubstanceUse
bit.ly/TraumaAndSubstanceUse
bit.ly/ODPreventioninBIPOCCommunities
bit.ly/EffectivelyEngagingPeers



-FOUNDATIONAL FRIDAYS: 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, "Harm Reduction 101," happening tomorrow, July 26, click here. To sign up for the August 30 session, “Overdose 101,” click here. Stay tuned for updates about our latest Foundational Fridays series! For more information, contact Jose Martinez at [email protected]. Stay tuned for updates about our latest Foundational Fridays series! For more information, contact Jose Martinez at [email protected].

Links:
bit.ly/HarmRed1012024
bit.ly/Overdose10124



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.

Link: [link removed]



SECTION 3: Work for the Movement


+ The Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition is hiring an Executive Director.

Link: [link removed]


+ Breaking Ground is searching to fill multiple roles, including:

Harm Reduction Specialist, Street to Home Queens Outreach

Link: [link removed]


Harm Reduction Specialist, Street to Home Manhattan Outreach

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Harm Reduction Specialist, West 83rd Street Safe-Haven

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Clinical Coordinator, Transitional Housing, Seafarers Safe-Haven

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Clinical Coordinator, Outreach, Street to Home Manhattan Outreach

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+ GLIDE SF is looking to fill Harm Reduction Case Manager and Health Systems Navigator roles.

Links:
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+ HIV Alliance is seeking a BIPOC PWID Community Health Worker.

Link: [link removed]


+ OnPoint NYC is hiring for multiple roles, including:

-Distribution Associate

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-Certified Medical Assistant

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-Outreach Specialist

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+ The SOAR Initiative is hiring a Director of Programs and a Franklin County Outreach Specialist.

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+ VOCAL-NY is searching for a Civil Rights Union Organizer (Mass Incarceration).

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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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