March 15, 2021

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

+ NEWS: Last week, Congress approved the first-ever dedicated federal funding for syringe services programs and harm reduction to the tune of $30 million in emergency funding. Read more about the historic funding in this press release from the National Campaign for Harm Reduction Funding and in this tweet thread from Drug Policy Alliance’s Deputy Director of National Affairs, Grant Wilder Smith: 

+ TOOLKIT: Decriminalization of Sex Work and Sex Workers Social Media Toolkit — Support Women With a Vision and Sex Workers Advisory Committee in their campaign to share public education about the need to decriminalize sex work in Louisiana. The campaign continues and it’s not too late to jump in — use the hashtag #DeepSouthDecrim to join the conversation on social media and explore this social media toolkit with talking points, social media graphics, and information about LA HB67.

+ ON THE GROUND: Cincinnati just got a brand new vending machine with safer sex, safer smoking and safer injection kits as well as naloxone thanks to regional HIV and AIDS service organization Caracole. Participants can call a number on the machine, talk to a trained Caracole staff member briefly and receive a personalized code. Harm reduction, on demand.

+ ARTICLE: Women Are Leading Canada’s Safe Supply Movement — ”When systems fail us, we are forced to create new ones.” Learn more from the women creating safety on the frontline of the overdose crisis in Canada:

• ”Since being on a safe supply program, I no longer feel withdrawals. I can have an honest conversation about my drug use and what’s driving it with my doctor. I have time to focus on other things, like connecting to my Indigenous heritage and creativity. My drug use has become recreational and less problematic. I feel safer, more comfortable and in less pain, and empowered to advocate for folks everywhere to be able to access safe supply programs.” — Ashley Smoke in Filter Magazine
• ”People use drugs for a variety of reasons, and not all drug use is problematic. Abstinence is not a goal for everyone.” — Jessica Hales in Filter Magazine

+ RESOURCE: HCV Brief — In response to Governor Jay Inslee’s directive, the Washington State Department of Health, Health Care Authority, and members of the Hep C Free Washington Coordinating Committee are striving to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030.

+ TRAINING:  Harm Reduction in Indigenous Communities — Friday, April 9th from 10 AM - 12 PM PDT. What does harm reduction look like in Indigenous communities? Harm reduction work is much more than syringe access programs, and many tribal communities do not have access to syringe service programs. In this presentation we will explore what it means to do harm reduction in tribal communities, models of Indigenous harm reduction, and promising practices. Facilitated by Annette Hubbard.

+ TOOLKIT/EVENT/ETC: Join team NHRC, People’s Action and advocates (like you) from across the country, for the 1st annual Week of Action! This March 22nd - 26th, you’ll have the chance to share out your campaign’s best practices and favorite tactics; to learn from folks on the ground and most importantly, to take action with your Harm Reduction community.

+ RESOURCE: We believe Harm Reduction education should be accessible for all. Gear up for NHRC’s week of action by using our FREE COUPON CODE  “weekofaction” which will give you access to our NHRC Harm Reduction Learning Lab. Brush up on some skills and make some new ones back to share with your community. The institute will be live from March 15th-March 26th.

+ WEBINAR: Remember that our Foundational Friday's series continues 3/19 at 12 noon EST with Outreach 101! This 2 hour webinar will review basic information about how to keep you and your coworkers safe during outreach as well as discuss best practices and methods for success during outreach. Webinar participants will learn how to engage with program participants using a harm reduction approach while doing outreach. You can find the most up to date details on our website calendar! 

+ HEPCONNECT: Check out this commercial featuring grantees from HepConnect! Want more? Find the full length documentary by DorK Media Productions on YouTube here.

+ ROUNDTABLE: Join Faith in Harm Reduction for a virtual roundtable on faith, policy, and harm reduction on Wednesday, March 24th from 4 - 5:30 pm ET. Register here: https://bit.ly/38y19sT In the meantime, join the conversation on social media to create, share, and explore harm reduction altars as a ritual practice with Faith in Harm Reduction on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMSPcZvAoSq/ 

+ Full-time Hepatitis Care Coordinator (Oahu, HI)

Hiring? Send us a note about open positions in harm reduction to [email protected] to have a job post shared here.