National Harm Reduction Coalition creates spaces for dialogue and action that help heal the harms caused by racialized drug policies. |
+ SUPPORT NHRC THIS GIVINGTUESDAY: As we approach GivingTuesday on December 2 and celebrate NHRC’s 30th anniversary — three decades of championing and uplifting the harm reduction movement — we reflect on the extraordinary wisdom and collective power of the people and communities we work with and for. This year, harm reduction efforts have faced growing threats nationwide. At the same time, overdoses and health inequities continue to rise — particularly among Black, Indigenous, Latine/x, immigrant, and LGBTQIA+/TGNCNB (trans, gender non-conforming, nonbinary) communities — and access to care becomes even more limited. Still, NHRC pushes forward, supporting frontline service organizations, training providers in compassionate, evidence-based practices, expanding leadership for peers, and advocating for policies rooted in dignity, equity, and justice.
These efforts are only possible because of the continued support of our community. Your generosity helps ensure lifesaving harm reduction services remain accessible, leaders with lived and living experience can guide this work, and our communities remain connected and well resourced. As GivingTuesday and the end of the year approach, we invite you to stand with NHRC by making a contribution that feels right for you. Your support helps us stay responsive and resilient in a time of increasing opposition and reduced funding, and keeps people who use drugs and the harm reduction movement alive. Interested in helping expand our reach through peer-to-peer fundraising? Contact Mike at [email protected].
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+ LIGHTHOUSE HOSTS GENDER-AFFIRMING HARM REDUCTION WORKSHOP: NHRC’s Lighthouse Learning Collective (Lighthouse) hosted "Centering Care: A Gender Affirming Harm Reduction Workshop for Social Service Providers" at NHRC’s New York office in New York City. The day-long workshop sessions, which included lectures, discussions, and interactive group activities, focused on Harm Reduction History and Foundations, Integrating Harm Reduction and Sex Work, and Chemsex and Sexual Health for TGNCNB (trans, gender nonconforming, nonbinary) people. The sessions were intended to give social service providers access to information and tools to help their organizations provide more affirming services to TGNCNB people who use drugs and engage in sex work. Lighthouse was able to host this event thanks to funding from NYC Pride’s "Pride Gives Back" grant.
Taylor Edelmann, NHRC’s LGBTQIA+ health and harm reduction manager, developed the workshop curriculum based on the Gender-Affirming Care Toolkit co-created by Lighthouse and Trans Equity Consulting, and facilitated sessions on Harm Reduction History and Chemsex. Mike Selick, NHRC’s director of capacity building and community mobilization, facilitated the Foundations session. NHRC's NYC Capacity Building Coordinator Jessenia Fanini opened the event and facilitated the Sexual Health session. Harmony Seaburg, national program coordinator at NHRC, provided essential support. Dee Chen, community relations director at NYC Pride/Heritage of Pride, shared remarks on behalf of the funder. Guest presenter Victoria Von Blaque, director of contracts at Trans Equity Consulting, led a session on integrating harm reduction strategies into sex work. Lighthouse is grateful to all who joined the workshop, their energy, insight, and care that made this event a step forward in building more inclusive, affirming systems of support across communities. Stay tuned for more Lighthouse events!
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+ GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN: On Trans Day of Remembrance, we held grief and sorrow along with love and tenacity as we honored trans loved ones whose lives were stolen by anti-trans violence and structural oppressions. It's on all of us to answer the call to change the culture and systems that allow this abuse, persecution, and erasure. Collectively, we must deepen our community roots and strengthen our solidarity to uplift trans people in the U.S. and around the world.
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+ DRUG USERS’ RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS: Drug users' rights are human rights — full stop. This was true this past International Drug Users Day and the other 364 days of the year. At NHRC, we will continue our life-saving, evidence-backed harm reduction work that centers the people most impacted by drug use: People who use drugs.
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+ HEPATITIS TESTING SAVES LIVES: The annual World Hepatitis Testing Week wrapped up earlier this month, though resources and much more are available all year long via the World Hepatitis Alliance. Check out the campaign and more resources here.
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+ IN CASE YOU MISSED IT, NHRC IS ON BLUESKY: NHRC has joined the Bluesky party! We're thrilled to share yet another way folks can follow us for more news, announcements, resources, and more from the harm reduction movement and interconnected public health and social justice work. Follow along here.
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+ ACTION ALERT REMINDER: Tell Congress to protect PrEP and preventive care! Sign to support life-saving health care and our communities here. |
+ CONFERENCES AND EVENTS: -
Harm Reduction International’s webinar, "Keeping Harm Reduction Alive: Strategies Amid a Global Funding Collapse," is happening tomorrow, November 27, 2025, at 8 a.m. ET.
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Our friends at the Legal Action Center are hosting a webinar, "Leveraging Opioid Settlement Funds: Safeguarding Community Services During Times of Federal Funding Shifts," on December 10, 2025, at 2 p.m. ET. Register and learn more here.
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+ NEWS: Experts Say Parents Should Keep This Surprising Item In Their First Aid Kits — NHRC's Director of Capacity Building and Community Mobilization, Mike Selick, spoke with Scary Mommy about the importance of parents/guardians having naloxone (4mg or less) on hand in the event of an overdose, much like other first aid kit materials.
"'I’d like to be prepared in case my kid ever ends up trying drugs. Also, I had surgery a couple of years ago and had a few opioid painkillers in my house. My spouse has also had surgery a couple of times. All of us should lock our pills up and put them where our kids can’t find them, but accidents happen,'" he said.
+ NEWS: The War on Harm Reduction: "Recovery First" Is a Death Sentence — NHRC's former Housing and Shelter Capacity Building Coordinator (O-PHRESH), Alixe Dittmore, spoke with Invisible People about harm reduction as a proven public health issue that fosters community — and the importance of understanding each individual has their own unique health needs that must be respected. In this wide-ranging interview, Alixe also talks about the need for wrap-around services for people who use drugs, including safe housing and access to harm reduction and/or treatment services of each individual's choice.
"It's OK for you to need something different than someone else and you don't have to totally get it [their needs/methods] to respect that some people need something else, and it doesn't mean that we can't give it to them — and also, [harm reduction is] an evidence-based intervention that works, it's not just 'fluff' and love," she said. Content note: Some problematic phrasing used in coverage.
+ NEWS: Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill Deserves Lawmakers’ Support, Letter Says — NHRC was one of several organizations to join our friends at Drug Policy Alliance in support of legalizing marijuana at the federal level and strengthening equity measures through the MORE (Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement) Act.
As noted in this Marijuana Moment coverage, the letter states, "The MORE Act is the leading comprehensive marijuana reform bill in the House that ends federal prohibition, addresses the collateral consequences of federal marijuana criminalization, and takes steps to ensure the regulated marketplace is diverse and inclusive...For generations, marijuana’s placement on the [Controlled Substances Act, or CSA] has disproportionately inflicted harm upon communities of color and poor people."
+ NEWS: Opioid overdose deaths in NYC see significant drop — Harm reduction — which includes but isn't limited to syringe services programs (SSPs), overdose prevention centers (OPCs), and street outreach — is proven to save lives around the world, and in small towns and big cities in the U.S. As reported via CBS New York, recorded overdose deaths in New York City dropped substantially in 2024 compared to previous years. We must continue to expand life-saving harm reduction approaches and other interconnected public health programs and services to those most at risk — and all people. We must put in the work and investments needed to save lives and improve public health.
+ NEWS: Arnall: To save lives and dollars, Oklahoma must keep harm reduction — Science-backed data and folks' lived experiences must come before fear and stigma. Around the world over several decades, harm reduction has been proven to save lives, improve community health, and support the safety and well-being of all people.
"Making the case for harm reduction is difficult. Many local elected officials and community members hold the misconception that programs using this approach increase drug use, loitering, and crime. Evidence overwhelmingly shows the opposite, but this fear often fuels legislative attempts to ban or restrict programs. The truth is that harm reduction programs improve safety for communities, not just individuals. Evidence shows that areas with established syringe service programs report lower rates of improperly discarded syringes. Individuals who use fentanyl test strips are more likely to modify their drug use behaviors and lower their risk of overdose. Research shows that more widespread availability of naloxone in a community is associated with decreased emergency department visits and opioid related fatalities. Harm reduction works in more ways than one," this op-ed in The Journal Record aptly names.
+ NEWS: Forced Hospitalization Isn’t the Answer — Housing, Healthcare, and Compassion Are — True care is not coercive. We all deserve to have our human right to housing and access to stigma-free health care, including voluntary treatment and other harm reduction resources, on our own terms.
"...removing people from sight — whether to a hospital ward, a jail cell, or a distant encampment — without addressing the root causes only deepens the crisis and ignores research showing that forced treatment rarely works. In practice, forced hospitalization often means hours — sometimes days — waiting in an ER hallway because no psychiatric beds are available. New York alone has lost nearly 1,000 psychiatric beds in recent years. Even when a bed is found, discharge usually comes before real stabilization, with no follow-up plan and nowhere to go. The result? More trauma, more mistrust, and more costly cycles of hospitalization, incarceration, and street homelessness," this op-ed in City Limits shares.
+ NEWS: Michigan study finds harm reduction services reduce hospitalizations — Yet another study has found that life-saving harm reduction services reduce hospitalizations. Harm reduction, both as a philosophy and evidence-backed set of approaches to addressing the overdose epidemic and strengthening public health, saves lives and makes entire communities safer. Check out the coverage from WLNS-TV here.
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+ SYNDEMIC SUMMIT EXAMINES BIG PICTURE: At the Syndemic Summit, hosted by the Community Education Group in Huntington, West Virginia, organizations from across the country came together to discuss critical issues shaping the harm reduction landscape. The summit featured sessions addressing topics such as peer workforce development, funding challenges, and emerging political trends affecting the field.
Jose Martinez, NHRC’s capacity building and hepatitis C coordinator, co-facilitated the session, "What’s Missing? It’s Bigger Than Drugs" alongside Carla Sofronski from the Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Network (PAHRN) and Clayton Ruley from the Community Liver Alliance. The session emphasized the importance of viewing communities holistically and acknowledging substance use is only one aspect of broader social, economic, and structural challenges. Facilitators and attendees explored strategies for centering community needs, promoting equity, and addressing the interconnected factors that influence health and well-being beyond drug use alone. Additionally, Jose participated in a pre-conference discussion facilitated by the Viral Harm Reduction Coalition (VHRC), which focused on recent executive orders issued under the Trump administration and the collaborative next steps needed to respond effectively within the harm reduction and public health sectors.
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+ CASEP COMMUNITY GATHERS AT CONFERENCE: At the 2025 CASEP (California Syringe Exchange Program) Conference, harm reductionists and other social justice activists from across California gathered in San Francisco, CA, for a range of sessions including "Dialogue Space: Moving Beyond 'Self Care' to Address Burnout," "Radical Solidarity: Showing up for SSPs with Commitment and Courage," "Grief Work & Collective Healing," and "Building a Movement: Developing Alignment and Collective Strategy Toward Real Solutions." Session leaders included folks from NHRC, Yuba Harm Reduction Collective, Practical Strategies Consulting, and National Homelessness Law Center.
Speakers of "The Wisdom Keepers Panel," featuring NHRC board member Lisa Moore of San Francisco State University Department of Public Health, NHRC Executive Director Laura Guzman, and Said Slim, integración social at Verter A.C., shared insight on sustaining harm reduction work through community grounding and care. The conference also incorporated healing through art sessions made possible by CruShow Herring, founder of ShowzArt and community arts manager with The Sidewalk Project.
Poster presentation awards recognized contributions from Up North Harm Reduction (UNHR), Inland Empire Harm Reduction (IEHR), and Harm Reduction Outreach Collective (HROC), and the "Hope Dealer Awards" honored leaders who uplift and transform communities through harm reduction. Nominees included NHRC’s Laura Guzman, Joanna Berton Martinez, former NHRC staff member, long-time harm reductionist and an independent consultant, Executive Director of the Homeless Youth Alliance Mary Howe, and Arlene Brown, co-founder and executive director of Crossroads Recovery Center Healing Village.
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+ RESOURCES AND REPORTS: -
NHRC is excited to launch two additional online modules free for NYC residents, LGB/TGNCNB 101 and Stigma 101! These modules are self-paced and take approximately 90 minutes. LGB/TGNCNB 101 is a module that explores health disparities LGB/TGNCNB people who use drugs and engage in sex work face, dispels myths, and provides strategies for affirming care. Stigma 101 is a module that explores stigma's roots, forms, and impact and offers tips to help create change. Learn more about the rest of our NYC online courses here, and see our full online learning center here.
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NHRC’s Executive Director, Laura Guzman, was one of the folks cited in this Drug and Alcohol Dependence piece that looked at staff burnout among Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) in the U.S.
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Legal Action Center created resources for overcoming substance use disorder programs opposition. Check these out here.
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Research from Harm Reduction Journal shared that, "Changes in drug use and drug markets occurred over a period of waiting for interventions to be implemented. Policymakers must consider adapting plans for a supervised injection facility to include inhalation space to meet the current needs of people who use drugs. Drug policy interventions must consider the populations most at risk, and should consider drug checking services…This study highlights that the nature of change in drug markets requires timely policy response and implementation. As drug markets become riskier, policymakers should consider framing overdose as a matter of public health urgency to facilitate timely harm reduction implementation."
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Harm Reduction Journal also shared a review in which the authors uplifted harm reduction approaches for people using benzodiazepines. The review noted, "Critically, a clear gap remains in harm reduction approaches for those not seeking treatment, highlighting a need for inclusive, flexible and pragmatic responses. There is also a need for more robust evaluation of harm reduction interventions to strengthen the evidence base and inform practice." Learn more here.
- In the U.S., a study published in "Addiction" found that when surveyed, primary care doctors, emergency medicine physicians, and dentists stigmatized substance use more than diabetes, depression, and HIV. Read the study here.
A piece from R Street names how effective harm reduction is not only for people who use drugs, but entire communities. The piece shares that despite this, harm reduction, "has been met with growing backlash in recent years, with state legislators seeking to repeal harm reduction authorizations, restrict existing programs, and push back on efforts to permit new interventions. Our research revealed that opponents of harm reduction primarily cite concerns that the approach harms communities and individuals and contradicts the government’s ideological opposition to illicit drug use. Most of these concerns, however, are unfounded, as decades of research have demonstrated benefits such as reductions in syringe litter; decreases in the spread of infectious disease and other injection-related health complications; safe connections to services and treatment; reductions in overdose death risk; taxpayer savings; and more...many of the perceived harms that are attributed to harm reduction may be the result of other issues, including growing economic instability and a lack of affordable housing, both of which may lead to increased homelessness and increased visibility of substance use and intoxication."
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An analysis published via JAMA Health Network identified that, "Latino sexual minority men are disproportionately affected by adverse HIV prevention and care outcomes because of social, structural, and behavioral factors that increase their vulnerability. But they are not a monolithic group…For example, research shows that Mexican-born men in Chicago often delay HIV care due to significant pre- and post-migration concerns, including poverty and social stigma, and lack of access to healthcare. But Central American Latino immigrant sexual minority men have low HIV testing rates due to low HIV awareness, experiences of violence, and chronic stress."
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Health Affairs shared an article, "The Opioid Crisis: Scaling Up Treatment and Harm Reduction Programs to Reach More People Who Would Benefit," which highlighted opportunities for expanding services to support those who need these most.
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Research published via Harm Reduction Journal analyzed the experiences of people who use drugs who come into contact with police in a number of ways, including through calling emergency services for support when witnessing an overdose. The research, titled, "'They won’t prosecute, but they will though:' the continuing struggle between criminalization and harm reduction within the criminal justice system in the context of an opioid overdose crisis," can be read 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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+ 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. 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 December 19 session, "Sexual and Reproductive Health 101," click here. To sign up for the January 30 session, "Syringe Access 101," 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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If you support emergent and exciting work at National Harm Reduction Coalition, please join our community of monthly donors, the Harm Reduction Champions! |
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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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