April 1, 2022

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

+ TRANS DAY OF VISIBILITY: Taylor Edelmann (he/him), LGBTQIA+ Health & Harm Reduction Manager at NHRC’s Lighthouse Learning Collective (LLC), wrote this blog post called “More than a Day: Uplifting TGNC Voices on TDOV and Beyond.” Yesterday, Taylor and LLC released a new campaign to feature TGNC harm reduction leaders — nominations are open!

+ CONFERENCE: Conference Scholarship and Abstract Deadlines: April 15! Join NHRC for the 13th National Harm Reduction Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico from October 13-16, 2022. Apply online by April 15 to receive a partial scholarship or present your abstract to the largest harm reduction conference in the world.

+ EVENT: Responding to Xylazine in the Drug Supply — Have you heard of the emergence of xylazine, a veterinary substance that causes sedation, in the drug supply? This virtual Office Hours featuring Rafi Torruella, Nab Dasgputa, Chelsea Shover, Joe D'Orazio and moderator Kim Sue will provide an overview of xylazine in the US drug supply from research and clinical perspectives. RSVP today.

Promotional flier for virtual office hours on xylazine, all text is included in the copy above.

+ NEWS: Adora Perez Conviction Overturned —Adora Perez was sentenced to 11 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter of her fetus when methamphetamines were found in her system. On March 18, a judge in Kings County, California reversed the court’s decision and vacated her 11-year sentence. Perez pleaded no contest when she feared facing a possible life sentence. The case has represented a battle over the rights of pregnant people and people who use drugs.

+ NEWS: Last Week Tonight —John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight covered popular myths about fentanyl, overdose prevention sites, and barriers to accessing naloxone in this segment on harm reduction featuring Louise Vincent and the North Carolina Urban Survivor’s Union, and the team behind OnPoint NYC —New York Harm Reduction Educators and the Washington Heights Corner Project.

+ RESEARCH: CHRI PIT Survey — People who use drugs know what they need to be safe! Check out the data from the CHRI Point in Time (PIT) survey to learn more about why funding and supporting services for people who use drugs is so important. View the full post on Instagram.

+ ARTICLE: Surge in Overdose Deaths is a Puzzle Public Health Experts Are Desperate to Solve — Learn from long-time harm reductionists, including Sr. Dir. of Capacity Building and Community Mobilization Laura Guzman, who told the SF Public Press Podcast: “What we’re seeing is that, as we talk generally about an opioid crisis, this particular moment, the disproportionate impact is on people already impacted by health disparities..”

+ BEST PRACTICES: Best Practices for Buprenorphine and Fentanyl Use — Fight fear with facts about buprenorphine and fentanyl. As fentanyl spreads in many communities, bupe remains an effective treatment with some clinical tweaks:

Fentanyl FAQ from CA Bridge to address some pressing questions about fentanyl use and medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD)
Buprenorphine Starts for Fentanyl Use video from CA Bridge about how to start people who use fentanyl on buprenorphine
Buprenorphine Induction for Fentanyl Dependent Opioid Users clinical study about modifications needed to MOUD induction for people using fentanyl

+ FUNDING: NACCHO has released a new funding opportunity RFA for harm reduction practices and services — an academic detailing pilot project. Up to five awards of up to $35,000 are available and applications are due April 18. View the RFA for more details.

+ RESOURCES: In a new Harm Reduction Resource Library from RTI International, you can find resources about community led programming, wound care, the drug war, and more: https://bit.ly/RTIharmreduction

+ TRAININGS: Churches, Health Care Align to Offer Trusted Space for Addiction Treatment — Learn more about a new four-week series of trainings for faith-based organizations in collaboration with NHRC and Faith in Harm Reduction. Want to discuss a training or training series with our team? Email [email protected].

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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+ WEEK OF ACTION: End the Epidemics Week of Action —This past year has demonstrated just how many people in CA have been left behind by our public health system. Communities hit hardest by COVID-19 are the same communities disproportionately impacted by HIV, STIs, viral hepatitis and overdose — including Black and brown communities, LGBTQ+ communities, and people who use drugs. From April 25-29, join End the Epidemics to mobilize across the state in the fight for health justice. Learn more and sign up here.

+ LEGISLATION: Support Harm Reduction Policies in Pennsylvania — Pennsylvania has only two legally operating syringe service programs in all of the state. Passing House Bill 2264 and Senate Bill 926 would allow SSPs to operate legally throughout PA. Tell your legislators why they should support these bills! Learn more and take action in this post from Prevention Point on Instagram.

+ National Harm Reduction Coalition is hiring a Human Resources Manager and Grants and Contracts Manager

+ Groundworks Collaborative in Vermont is hiring a Director of Shelters and Director of Foodworks

+ Inland Empire Harm Reduction is hiring a Project Coordinator

+ Prevention Point is hiring a Social Work Coordinator

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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