September 26, 2024

National Harm Reduction Coalition creates spaces for dialogue and action that help heal the harms caused by racialized drug policies.

+ DEMANDING SOLUTIONS FROM PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES: Americans need and deserve evidence-backed health solutions to save lives and stem the tide of the overdose crisis. We joined our friends at Drug Policy Alliance in demanding ABC News, David Muir, and Linsey Davis ask Harris and Trump about their plans to end overdose during the last presidential debate. Though this important question was not posed to the candidates, we will continue pushing for elected officials to follow and implement proven solutions that save lives.

+ HONORING THOSE WE'VE LOST: International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), held on August 31 each year, serves as a stark reminder that every overdose death is a drug policy failure. As we mourned those we've lost, we named our commitment to continue pushing for evidence-backed harm reduction (aka health care) services and support — including Overdose Prevention Centers (OPCs) — for and with our communities. Grief shows up differently for each of us, and we encourage you to be gentle with yourself whether it’s IOAD or any other day on the calendar. For more support, see our Grieving Overdose Zine here.

Photos courtesy of Adam Johns, Sidewalk Project.

+ BUILDING JUST FUTURES: Well beyond Suicide Prevention Month, which is recognized each September, we must work together to change the injustices that trap people in poverty, incarceration, violence, and despair. We can and must build a world that lifts up people's lives, health, well-being, and futures.

+ LIGHTHOUSE LAUNCHES GENDER-AFFIRMING TOOLKIT FOR SSPS: NHRC’s Lighthouse Learning Collective has published “Gender Affirming Harm Reduction: A Toolkit for Syringe Service Programs,” a resource created in collaboration with Trans Equity Consulting. The toolkit is dedicated to the late visionary and Trans Equity Consulting founder, Cecilia Gentilli, who supported the vision for the project. The resource was developed to provide organizations with a roadmap for increasing service delivery and commitment to TGNCNB (Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Nonbinary) communities. The toolkit includes an organizational assessment to highlight areas for growth and opportunities as well as information on chemsex, overdose response and prevention, sex work, and how to ask for and write up a more affirming sexual health history, and more. Also included in the resource are self-reflection questions to guide understanding of the toolkit and content to continue learning and expanding knowledge. Check out the toolkit flip book here, and site version here. Didn't catch the webinar to take a deeper dive into the toolkit yesterday? No worries! Lighthouse will post a recording to YouTube in the coming weeks. ASL and Spanish interpreters were provided during the webinar.

Colorful gradient background with a laptop graphic at center, displaying screenshot of the first page of the toolkit. The copy reads: “Lighthouse Learning Collective Has a New Toolkit!” Beneath the laptop is the link to access: bit.ly/LLCToolkit2024. Below are Lighthouse, Trans Equity Consulting, and NHRC logos.

+ CONFERENCES AND EVENTS:

NHRC’s Chief Program and Business Strategy Officer, Anthony Salandy, will serve as a panelist for HEAL Connections Sharing Session: Community Partner Insights to Strengthen Research Dissemination-Focus on Addiction on October 10 at 1 p.m. ET. Learn more about the event hosted by the National Institute of Health’s Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative here.
Harm Reduction International (HRI) is hosting its 2025 conference in Bogotá, Columbia, April 27 through April 30, 2025. Sign up and learn more here.
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].

Blue gradient fills background. Black-&-white maze-like pattern frames top of graphic. Bold, all caps text in black at top reads, ''DON'T MISS: PEER GATHERING COHORT'', w/ ''DON''T MISS'' highlighted in yellow. Black text filling rest of frame reads, ''Please note: These meetings are for peers only, come as yourself!'' & ''First Monday of each month, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. EST via Zoom''. Photo of man wearing hat & name tag fills frame @ bottom left, w/ his quote in black text @ right of photo, reading, ''A community without peer empowerment is a failed society.'' - Jose Martinez, National Harm Reduction Coalition.'' Yellow sun-like shape is also pictured, with bold, all caps black text reading, ''FREE''. White PEERUP and NHRC logos at bottom right.

+ NEWS: Activists push for the legalization of fentanyl test strips — Fentanyl test strips can save lives, and every resource to end overdose is needed to help keep people alive and stay healthier. The more people know, the safer they can be. Despite this, in states including Iowa, these life-saving resources are deemed "illegal." We must put the health and safety of people first.

"Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition Executive Director Deborah Krauss said Iowa’s apprehension toward fentanyl test strips is having real consequences...'We know fentanyl is in our drug supply. We know it’s around...We have to go by overdose data because we just don’t have enough data on what the supply is.'" Read the full coverage by the Iowa Capital Dispatch here.

+ NEWS: Harm reduction advocates send message about overdose crisis — Harm reductionists took matters into their own hands to save lives and show what overdose prevention centers can offer to communities — lives saved, and health care needs addressed. The demonstration, on International Overdose Awareness Day, included a makeshift overdose prevention center. See more from 9NEWS (KUSA) here.

+ NEWS: Unhoused People Are Being Killed at Alarming Rates — Criminalizing people who are houseless is deadly. As we stated after the devastating ruling in the Grants Pass v. Johnson case, criminalizing these communities further intensifies the violence and harassment people who are houseless face and work to survive every day. No one is disposable.

“'When communities start to criminalize people experiencing homelessness, there’s a direct uptick in violence,' said Donald Whitehead Jr., executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, a nonprofit that tracks hate crimes against unhoused people," this story in The Appeal names.

+ NEWS: First hepatitis C self-test prequalified by WHO — Access to life-saving, stigma-free health care services and support is critical for supporting people who use drugs living with hepatitis C, and entire communities. We must collectively work together to ensure that is a reality, and no one is left behind — which happens far too often already.

"To date, global efforts to eliminate hepatitis C have not been as effective as hoped. [World Health Organization (WHO]) estimates that 50 million people are living with the condition, but only around one-third of these are diagnosed, according to Dr Meg Doherty, WHO’s director for the Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes. GlobalData estimates that there are more than 31.2 million cases of hepatitis C across the nine major markets (9MM: Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US), only nine million of which are diagnosed. This illustrates the gap in diagnostics – a glaring barrier to eliminating the disease," this coverage in Clinical Trials Arena reads.

+ NEWS: The Racist War On Drugs Has Come For Abortion Care — Bodily autonomy is a human right, and the so-called "War on Drugs" — aka a war on people — is intertwined with attacks on reproductive healthcare.

As this story in Talking Points Memo names, “The War on Drugs taught us that once a certain behavior is criminalized and incarceration is accepted as the solution, it’s extremely difficult to change course—no matter how devastating the consequences.”

+ NEWS: Xylazine still ravaging Pennsylvania, and moving west — Safe supply, the decriminalization of drugs, and investing in harm reduction programs and services — evidence-backed health approaches — save lives. The longer we delay expanding life-saving services and criminalize people who use drugs, the more toxic the drug supply will become — and the further this drug supply will travel.

"We’re addressing these gaps at the same time we’re identifying them. Public health plans for the changing drug supply need to be multi-pronged. Unless we have a safe supply, drugs will continue to evolve," this story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes.

+ SHOWING UP FOR PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS: NHRC’s LGBTQIA+ Health & Harm Reduction Manager Taylor Edelmann, who leads the Lighthouse Learning Collective, facilitated the training, “Engaging People Who Use Drugs in Housing Settings” in New York City earlier this month and snapped this photo before setting up for folks to join. Book NHRC’s trainers for your organization’s needs today! Learn more about our virtual and in-person offerings here.

White man with dark brown hair wearing black glasses and black t-shirt with white graphic design on it poses while gesturing to presentation screen in background, which reads in part, “Engaging PWUD in Housing Settings”, “CUCS | September 2024”, “Taylor Edelmann (he/him),” and “LGBTQIA+ Health & Harm Reduction”. Also pictured are tables with chairs.

+ FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: The Comer Family Foundation is offering grant opportunities for syringe services and community-based harm reduction programs. To apply by the November 1, 2024 deadline and learn more, check out this link.

+ RESOURCES AND REPORTS:

JAMA Network has published the “Drug Decriminalization, Fentanyl, and Fatal Overdoses in Oregon” study, which found that, “fatal overdose and fentanyl spread through Oregon’s unregulated drug market, decriminalization of drug possession was not associated with an increase in fatal drug overdose rates in Oregon in the 2 years after its enactment.” Read the findings here.
“A call for compassionate opioid overdose response,” published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, lays out calls-to-action and best practices when responding to overdoses and other health and safety needs of people who use drugs. Check out the publication here.
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!

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.

+ TRAININGS AND WEBINARS:

Las Americas is back!/¡El retorno de Las Américas! NHRC is thrilled to uplift and amplify the voices and experiences of Latinx/é and Caribeñe harm reductionists during Las Americas (traditionally known as “Hispanic Heritage Month”), celebrated from September 15 to October 15. This initiative is designed to recognize the significant contributions of Latinx/é and Caribeñes that made harm reduction history possible as well as the harm reduction movement in the U.S. and the global south, fostering an inclusive and equitable environment for harm reduction and overdose prevention efforts among Latinx/é and Caribeñe communities. Planned activities include virtual panels, honoring both established and emerging Latinx/é and Caribeñe harm reductionists, and ensuring language justice through comprehensive translation services from English into Spanish and Spanish into English. NHRC is grateful to the California Health Care Foundation for their support in sponsoring this series. We hope you’ll join us for the remaining following sessions and associated office hours as part of the Las Americas Harm Reduction Spotlight Series (session descriptions included in registration links):

La Coalición Nacional de Reducción de Daños (NHRC) está encantada de elevar y amplificar las voces y experiencias de los reductores de daños latinos/é y caribeños durante Las Américas (tradicionalmente conocido como “Mes de la Herencia Hispana”), celebrado del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre. Esta iniciativa está diseñada para reconocer las importantes contribuciones de Latinx/é y Caribeñes que hicieron posible la historia de la reducción de daños, así como el movimiento de reducción de daños en los EE. UU. y el sur global, fomentando un entorno inclusivo y equitativo para los esfuerzos de reducción de daños y prevención de sobredosis entre las comunidades Latinx/é y Caribeñes. Las actividades planificadas incluyen organizar paneles virtuales, honrar a los reductores de daños latinos y caribeños establecidos y emergentes, y garantizar la justicia lingüística a través de servicios integrales de traducción del inglés al español y del español al inglés. La Coalición Nacional de Reducción de Daños le agradece a California Health Care Foundation por su apoyo como auspiciadores de esta serie educativa. Esperamos que se una a nosotros en las siguientes sesiones y horarios de oficina asociados como parte de la Serie Destacada sobre Reducción de Daños Las Américas (las descripciones de las sesiones se incluyen en los enlaces de registro):
- Promotores and Harm Reduction, October 3, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET/Promotorxs y la Reducción de Daños, 3 de octubre de 2 p.m. a 4 p.m. ET
- Office Hour 1: October 10, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET/ Hora de Oficina #1 — 10 de octubre, 2 p.m. a 3 p.m. ET
- Office Hour 2: October 17, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET/ Hora de Oficina # 2 — 17 de octubre, 2 p.m. a 3 p.m. ET

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. ET 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, "Outreach 101," happening tomorrow, Sept. 27, click here . To sign up for the October 25 session, “Safer Injecting 101,” click here . Stay tuned for updates about our latest Foundational Fridays series! For more information, contact Jose Martinez at [email protected].

In The Works has launched a new “Implementing Harm Reduction into Housing Settings” e-course featuring NHRC’s DOPE Project, created with DISH SF. Learn more and sign up for the courses here.

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!

+ NHRC is looking for a Director of Capacity Building and Community Mobilization (California).

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

+ GLIDE SF is hiring a Harm Reduction Operations Manager and Harm Reduction Program Manager, Testing.

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

+ OnPoint NYC is hiring for multiple roles, including:

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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National Harm Reduction Coalition
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New York, NY 10016
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