OUR MOVEMENT IN MOTION
October 31, 2024


SECTION 1: News and Announcements

+ SPOTLIGHT ON LATINE/X AND CARIBEÑE COMMUNITIES/ENFOQUE EN LAS COMUNIDADES LATINX/E Y CARIBEÑAS: NHRC proudly hosted Las Americas from September 15 to October 15, a month-long celebration that honored the long history, leadership, and resilience of Latinx/e and Caribeñe harm reductionists from the Global South and North. Over 200 attendees participated in this groundbreaking virtual event, which emphasized language justice by featuring panels in Spanish and English with simultaneous translation.

Our program included three transformative panels: “Emerging Issues in the Latinx/e and Caribeñe Community,” “Harm Reduction in the Americas and the Global South,” and “Promotores and Harm Reduction.” These panels explored key public health and social justice challenges, such as health disparities, the criminalization of substance use, and access to culturally competent care while highlighting innovative solutions from Latinx/e and Caribeñe regions across the Americas. The discussions fostered a valuable exchange of strategies and strengthened cross-border and transnational partnerships.

We honored Joyce Rivera, chief executive officer at St. Anne’s Corner of Harm Reduction in New York City, with the “NHRC Legacy Award” as one of two of NHRC's Latine founders and for her unmatched commitment to our communities of people who use drugs for over three decades. We also honored María Elena Ramos Rodríguez from the program Compañeros in Ciudad Juarez with the “Mexico and the Global South Pioneer Award," and Dr. Ángel A. González-Carrasquillo for his groundbreaking work in addiction care in Puerto Rico and the Caribe. These leaders continue to pave the way for future generations of Latinx/e and Caribeñe harm reductionists.

We also paid tribute to the legacies of our ancestors: Delia García, NHRC co-founder, Miluska Martínez Sarson, Cecilia Gentili, Dr. Carmen Landau, and Orlando Chavez. Their contributions to harm reduction and social justice are woven into the fabric of our organization and movement. This event was made possible by the unwavering support of the California Health Care Foundation. Help us continue this vital work! Your gift to NHRC today will ensure our movement remains inclusive and accessible to all communities and cultures.

Donate today

NHRC organizó con orgullo Las Américas del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre, una celebración de un mes que honró la larga historia, el liderazgo y la resiliencia de los/as harm reductionists Latinx/e y Caribeñes del Sur y Norte Global. Más de 200 participantes asistieron a este innovador evento virtual, que destacó la justicia lingüística al contar con paneles en español e inglés con traducción simultánea.

Nuestro programa incluyó tres paneles transformadores: "Temas Emergentes en la Comunidad Latinx/e y Caribeña," "Reducción de Daños en las Américas y el Sur Global," y "Promotores y Reducción de Daños." Estos paneles exploraron los principales desafíos de salud pública y justicia social, como las disparidades en salud, la criminalización del uso de sustancias y el acceso a atención culturalmente competente, destacando a la vez soluciones innovadoras de las regiones Latinx/e y Caribeñas a lo largo de las Américas. Las discusiones fomentaron un valioso intercambio de estrategias y fortalecieron alianzas transfronterizas y transnacionales.

Honramos a Joyce Rivera, directora ejecutiva de St. Anne’s Corner of Harm Reduction en la ciudad de Nueva York, con el “Premio Legado de NHRC” como una de las dos fundadoras Latinas de NHRC y por su inigualable compromiso con nuestras comunidades de personas que usan drogas durante más de tres décadas. También honramos a María Elena Ramos Rodríguez, del programa Compañeros en Ciudad Juárez, con el “Premio Pionero de México y el Sur Global,” y al Dr. Ángel A. González-Carrasquillo por su trabajo innovador en el cuidado de adicciones en Puerto Rico y el Caribe. Estos líderes siguen abriendo el camino para las futuras generaciones de reductores de daños Latinx/e y Caribeñes.

También rendimos homenaje a los legados de nuestros antepasados: Delia García, fundadora de NHRC, Miluska Martínez Sarson, Cecilia Gentili, la Dra. Carmen Landau y Orlando Chavez. Sus contribuciones a la reducción de daños y la justicia social están entrelazadas en el tejido de nuestra organización y movimiento. Este evento fue posible gracias al inquebrantable apoyo de la Fundación de Cuidado de la Salud de California. ¡Ayúdanos a continuar con este trabajo vital! Tu donación a NHRC hoy garantizará que nuestro movimiento siga siendo inclusivo y accesible para todas las comunidades y culturas.

Dona hoy

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+ OVERDOSE AWARENESS AND ACTION MUST CONTINUE: At NHRC, we believe every day is an opportunity to act and save lives. As the world moves on past International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), a time to honor lives lost to overdose and stand with those impacted by the so-called "War on Drugs," we must move beyond the moment and stay committed to ending overdose deaths, regardless of the date on the calendar and long after IOAD headlines fade.

Your donation will help us expand our efforts to distribute naloxone, provide vital overdose prevention training and education to health service providers, local governments, tribal communities, and community-based organizations, offer critical technical assistance to syringe services programs and grassroots harm reduction organizations, and advocate for policy changes that support harm reduction across the country.

Let’s continue to work together to create a future where overdose deaths are no longer a reality. Please make a donation today.

Donate today

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+ HONORING INDIGENOUS/NATIVE LESSONS AND ACTION: Indigenous/Native people have always had infinite wisdom, and we honor and celebrate their legacies, lessons, and life-saving work — including harm reduction practices that have been performed for centuries. On Indigenous Peoples' Day and every day after that, we must continue to uplift the expertise and needs of Indigenous and Native communities. Check out our Native Harm Reduction Toolkit here.

Link: bit.ly/NativeHarmReductionToolkit


+ ICYMI — LIGHTHOUSE LAUNCHES GENDER-AFFIRMING TOOLKIT, WEBINAR 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? No worries! Lighthouse posted a recording to YouTube. ASL and Spanish interpreters were provided during the webinar.

Links:
bit.ly/LLCToolkit2024PDF
bit.ly/LLCToolkit2024
bit.ly/LLCToolkitRecording




+ CONFERENCES AND EVENTS: 

-The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is hosting the Health Equity Conference May 19 through May 20, 2025 in Atlanta, GA. See more here. NRHA is also hosting the Annual Rural Health Conference May 20, 2025, through May 23, 2025. Learn more here.

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-National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is hosting The 2025 NIDA International Forum in New Orleans, Louisiana, from June 13, 2025, through June 14, 2025. Learn more here.

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-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: Rescue Breathing, a Crucial Overdose Response, Is Still Underused — Naloxone saves lives, and the overdose reversal medication should be available to everyone — especially people who use drugs — free of charge. While the importance of naloxone access continues to be highlighted across the country, as it should, rescue breathing is crucial in saving lives and preventing brain injuries. This life-saving measure cannot be overlooked.

As noted in Filter, "People can be revived with naloxone alone, but rescue breathing adds a crucial component in the interim by reducing the risk of brain injury—which can occur in as little as 3 minutes when the brain is deprived of oxygen.”

Link: bit.ly/RescueBreathing


+ NEWS: Florida criminalized homelessness. Then came hurricanes Helene and Milton — People who are houseless face even more life-threatening danger as climate change ravages communities. Criminalizing homelessness does nothing to uplift people who are struggling other than cause intense harm — particularly as extreme heat waves, flooding, wildfires, and intense hurricanes escalate.

"The new anti-camping laws are intensifying the already tumultuous disaster response situation, as many homeless people living outside now try to become less visible to avoid jail time. The punitive laws are also expected to increase distrust between local government and homeless individuals, making it even more difficult for people to accept help if they are found," this piece in Vox notes.

Link: bit.ly/CampingBansandClimateChange


+ NEWS: Colorado’s naloxone fund is drying up, even as opioid settlement money rolls in — To save lives, communities must invest in harm reduction. Opioid settlement funds can and should do exactly that. Despite this, many communities across the U.S. are not using funding for these proven, public health, evidence-backed programs and services.

“It’s just completely ironic that something that addresses the opioid overdose crisis is underfunded at the very same time that these settlement funds are flowing...There couldn’t be a better use for them," Mary Sylla, who served as NHRC's director of overdose prevention policy and strategy, named in this Colorado Newsline/Stateline/KFF Health News coverage.

Link: bit.ly/CONaloxoneRunningOut


+ NEWS: Should Valley’s poorest be tested to receive assistance? — We should be doing everything we can to lift up individuals and families struggling to navigate through poverty, not further cutting off life-saving resources as they try to climb their way out of deep financial insecurities.

As NHRC's Executive Director Laura Guzman shared in this coverage by The Merced FOCUS, “In some ways I think we have this dystopian (idea) that by somehow further punishing the people who (use drugs) we will be safer...But the more we cut benefits, the more the most vulnerable people will be in danger. Destroying the safety net does not gain us anything."

Link: bit.ly/NoOnMeasureR


+ NEWS: States, hospital systems try less punitive drug testing — A drug test is not a parenting test. Pregnant people who previously used or currently use drugs need support and health care options, not punishment. Some hospitals are starting to move toward a more health-focused approach when working with people who use drugs, away from punitive measures that exacerbate the health needs families face.

As noted in Stateline, "hospitals and clinicians are often confused about their own state laws, said Joelle Puccio, director of education at the Academy of Perinatal Harm Reduction, which provides information to pregnant women and parents who use drugs.

'What actually happens is always more punitive, more surveillance than what is actually required by the law, and it always falls more heavily on Indigenous, Black and other families of color,' said Puccio, who has worked as a registered nurse in perinatal and neonatal intensive care for two decades."

Link: bit.ly/ParentDrugTesting


+ NEWS: Rise in synthetic opioids in drug supply prompts health alert — People who use drugs — and all people — deserve access to resources and support, not the stigma and criminalization that comes from the so-called "War On Drugs," aka a war on people. Nitazenes have shown up in the drug supply, yet another example of what happens when public health is not prioritized.

“Both nitazenes and xylazine are the products of policy that criminalizes illicit drug use and a market that responds by churning out increasingly dangerous drugs, said Tasha Turner-Bicknell, a harm reduction worker, nurse and associate professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing.

'That kind of Prohibition-type of drug war, really, is like pouring gasoline on the illicit drug market...That market is always looking for something that is cheaper, faster and more potent,'" as noted in The Enquirer.

Link: bit.ly/NitazeneInDrugSupply


+ NEWS: Jose Martinez on Hepatitis C Navigations and Harm Reduction — As NHRC's Capacity Building and Hepatitis C Coordinator Jose Martinez so pointedly says, “Harm reduction is a lifestyle, not just something you talk about from 9 to 5." It's also a collective movement that requires us to support one another, meet people where they're at, and work together to lift each other up. We are stronger together.

Martinez, who shares glimpses of his experience in this The Good Men Project interview, said, "I remember sleeping on the E train, looking at a marathon poster for eight hours until the sun came up so I could go to a program open for breakfast. My life is completely different now, and I am incredibly grateful. It’s still unbelievable to me. I’m sure many people feel that way. But the reality is that we cannot get there alone.”

Link: bit.ly/HepCandHarmReduction




SECTION 2: Emergent and Exciting Work

+ THE SO-CALLED “WAR ON DRUGS” IS A WAR ON US: NHRC's LGBTQIA+ Health & Harm Reduction Manager, Taylor Edelmann, who leads the Lighthouse Learning Collective, served as a panelist for the panel discussion, "Let's Talk About It: The War on Drugs in New York," hosted by The NEW Pride Agenda. Check out the video here.

Link: instagram.com/p/DATsHy7Oybq/



+ RESOURCES AND REPORTS:

-Remedy Alliance/For the People published its “Drug Checking Implementation Workbook” for harm reductionists, advocates, administrators, program directors, and other folks looking to develop a point-of-care and community-based drug checking service. Click here for more.

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-DPA has released its report, “The Drug Treatment Debate: Why Accessible and Voluntary Treatment Wins Over Forced.” Check it out here.

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-The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy is looking to compile recommendations for the development of the 2026-2030 National Strategic Plans for STIs, Viral Hepatitis, and Vaccines and the 2026-2030 National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Feedback can be shared online by December 6, 2024.

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-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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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:

-Join NHRC, AIDS United, Black Harm Reduction Network, DPA, Human Impact Partners (HIP), and NASTAD on November 19 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET for "White Faces, Black and Brown Lives: Understanding Racial and Ethnic Trends in the Fourth Wave of the Overdose Crisis," a webinar moderated by DPA Executive Director Kassandra Frederique next month! In the early days of the overdose crisis, bestselling books like "Hillbilly Elegy" and "Dreamland" offered explanations as to why rural white people in Appalachia and the heartland were dying at such high rates. The explanation? Big Pharma profiteering and poor social and economic conditions. Combined with the “deaths of despair” narrative promoted by prominent economists, many came to believe the crisis was only impacting white people because of uniquely challenging circumstances that didn't affect other racial or ethnic groups in the same way — however, this was not the entire story.

People of color — especially in the areas profiled in popular books and viral headlines — were suffering from similar, if not higher, overdose rates. Today, Native and Black folks have the highest overdose mortality rates in the U.S. Understanding the nuances of these data is critical to crafting effective responses. On this panel, experts will share recent racial and ethnic trends in overdose mortality, including drug type, regional, age, and gender variations. In examining these trends, panelists will also explore the root causes of these disparities and offer racially- and culturally-specific solutions to curb the overdose crisis. This event will offer a counterstory to the racial impacts of the overdose crisis and show why an accurate understanding of race and overdose is crucial to save lives.

Link: bit.ly/WhiteFacesBlackAndBrownLives


-Today, October 31, 2024, from 4:30 p.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET, DPA is hosting the webinar, “Overdose Deaths after Treatment Termination in NYC and How to Save Lives.” Learn more and register here.

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-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. 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, "Sex Work 101," happening November 22, click here. To sign up for the December 20 session, “Sexual and Reproductive Health 101” click here. Stay tuned for updates about our latest Foundational Fridays series! For more information, contact Jose Martinez at [email protected].

Links:
bit.ly/SexWork1012024
bit.ly/FoundationalFridaysSexualandReproHealth2024



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

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

Link: bit.ly/NHRCCareers


+ Breaking Ground is searching to fill a Clinical Coordinator, Outreach position.

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+ DPA is looking to fill multiple roles, including:

-Communications Coordinator

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-Digital Communications Coordinator

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-Director, Criminal Legal and Policing Reform

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

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+ OnPoint NYC is hiring for multiple roles, including:

-Building Coordinator

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-Certified Medical Assistant

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-Fleet Coordinator

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-Distribution Associate

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-Director of Low Threshold Services

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-Full-time Registered Nurse

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-Part-time Registered Nurse

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-Part-time Holistic Health Specialist

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+ Texas Harm Reduction Alliance is searching for an Outreach Worker.

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+ VOCAL-TX is hiring an Austin Campaign Manager.

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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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