Harm Reduction Pillar

Harm Reduction

Harm Reduction aims to reduce the negative consequences associated with drug use (such as: the spread of HIV/Hep C from sharing needles).

Our Harm Reduction Goals include:

  • Decrease opioid related deaths, opioid overdoses, and infectious disease 
  • Increase access to narcan and education on addiction
  • Decrease stigma associated with addiction and promote use of common language for communicating about addiction
  • Partner with individuals who have lived experience to develop more effective intervention strategies

A few Harm Reduction Principles include:

  • Accepts that drug use is part of our world and works to minimize it’s harmful effects rather than ignoring or condemning them.
  • Understands drug use is a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon, and acknowledges that some ways of using drugs are clearly safer than others.
  • Ensures that people who use drugs or with a history of drug use have a real voice in the creation of programs and policies designed to serve them, and seeks to empower them to share information and support each other.
  • Calls for non-judgmental, non-coercive provision of services and resources to people who use drugs.
  • Recognizes the realities of environment and social inequalities that affect people’s vulnerability to and capacity for effectively dealing with drug-related harm.

Learn More: What is Harm Reduction, Addiction vs. Dependence, & Why Overdoses May Occur

Harm Reduction: Data, Strategies & Resources

Learn about why this issue is important, who we are trying to reach, what is being done, and how you can be involved.

DFC's Focus Areas

Prescription Drug Misuse, Heroin & Opioids: Four Pillar Approach, Alcohol Use & Abuse