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.
