National Harm Reduction Coalition

Working with partners and using insights from Syringe Services Programs (SSPs), we developed a fact sheet that outlines how SSPs can make advanced drug checking services more accessible. Swipe for a preview and check out the link in our bio for the full fact sheet, also available in Spanish!

How we care for people waking up from an overdose can make a massive difference. Coming back from an overdose can be traumatizing and painful, though we can step in to help ease the pain. People who use drugs deserve support and empathy, not stigma and shaming. #harmreduction #harmreductionsaveslives #harmreductionworks #harmreductionishealthcare #endthestigma #supportnotstigma #overdoseawarenessmonth #overdoseawareness #overdoseprevention #naloxone #naloxonesaveslives #carrynaloxone #narcan #narcansaveslives #carrynarcan #endoverdose

Naloxone saves lives, and should be accessible to all. Harm reductionists have been making this access possible for many years. Did you know NHRC has a Naloxone Finder Map to help locate free resources in your area in the U.S. as well as shipping by mail info? Check it out on our site, , also seen at the link in bio. #carrynaloxone #carrynarcan #naloxonesaveslives #narcansaveslives #endoverdose #endoverdosenow #harmreduction #harmreductionsaveslives #harmreductionworks

NHRC hosted an advocacy 101 training in New York, focusing on building participants’ skills in communicating with city and state officials. Attendees learned how to create clear and compelling advocacy messaging and prepare for a legislative day event at the state capitol. The training was facilitated by NHRC’s Capacity Building and Hepatitis C Coordinator, Jose Martinez, @housingworks Program Coordinator Ellie Goldfarb, and Housing Works Director of Advocacy Marquis Jenkins. Interested in NHRC trainings and learning opportunities? Learn more about our offerings here: bit.ly/BookNHRC or at the link in bio. #HarmReduction #PublicHealth #HealthCareIsAHumanRight #HarmReductionSavesLives #Hepatitis

Public health emergencies demand adequate responses. As the overdose epidemic continues, we must look to evidence-backed responses and expand them to save lives. As this writer who lost their child shares via @washingtonpost , “I have joined other bereaved parents in supporting legislation to establish OPCs in Connecticut. We recognize the need for evidence-based options in the face of this public health crisis. Every visit to OPCs is a reachable moment for someone who might otherwise die alone, the way my son did. No parent should have to bury a child.” They also shared, “Our tragedy exposed massive gaps within available systems. Overdose prevention centers fill those gaps. They do not increase drug use and are not the opposite of recovery; they are often the pathway to it. OPCs provide [sterile] supplies to lower risk of disease, improve safety by reducing public use and litter, save costs on emergency services, and connect people to health care, drug treatment and housing while providing an environment free from stigma and judgment.” Full piece at the link in bio. #HarmReduction #Overdose #OverdoseEpidemic #OverdosePrevention #OverdosePreventionCenters

People who use/used drugs often face hurdles to connect to care including medications for treatment. When climate disasters strike, these roadblocks grow. We must collectively work to remove these barriers, particularly in times where the health and well-being of people is most at-risk. “We make it so challenging for (people who used drugs) to access treatment medications in the first place...When people are displaced or unable to get to their usual clinics or pharmacies, those challenges just become insurmountable,” this @npr coverage via @kffhealthnews shares (link in bio). #HarmReduction #Overdose #OverdoseEpidemic #EndOverdose #DrugTreatment

NHRC is proud to be part of the NYC Trans & Queer Coalition (@nyctransqueercoalition ), a collective representing trans-led and LGBTQIA-missioned organizations advocating for safety, housing, healthcare, education, and dignity for all LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers. Together, we’re demanding essential funding for life-saving, life-affirming care. See more in coverage from @gaycitynews at the link in bio. #HarmReduction #HarmReductionIsHealthCare #HealthCareIsAHumanRight #OverdosePrevention #EndOverdose

Family comes in all shapes and sizes, and harm reduction mamas are the heartbeat of communities across the world. This Mother’s Day, we’re lifting up the time, energy, and care mamas pour into their life-saving work making this world a safer, healthier world for people who use drugs and all people. #MothersDay #HarmReduction #HarmReductionSavesLives #PublicHealth #ThankYouMoms

Harm reduction is here to stay. Regardless of the uphill battles people who use drugs and other harm reductionists face, we remain grounded in our purpose and reminders of how and why we do the life-saving work we do every day and night. On International Harm Reduction Day and always, we must recommit to embodying these principles and keeping those most impacted by overdose — people who use drugs — at the center of our work and heart of everything we do. We are stronger together. To read the full Principles of Harm Reduction on our site and see how you can apply this to your work, click here: bit.ly/HarmReductionPrinciples or visit the link in bio. #HarmReduction #HarmReductionWorks #HarmReductionSavesLives #HarmReductionIsLove #HarmReductionIsHealthCare

Action over ideology always wins in saving lives and improving the health and well-being of communities. As this @denvervoice piece shares (link in bio), when people are truly welcomed and met without judgment, their health needs are met. Speaking of @harmreductionactioncenter , where she now works as assistant director, Ruth Kanatser said, “It was also the first place where anybody treated me like a human being...Anybody said anything I had to say was valuable whatsoever, and that was mind-blowing.” The piece continued, “For nearly 25 years, Kanatser has been sharing the organization’s philosophy, rooted in reducing the negative consequences of drug use rather than insisting that a person stop using before they deserve care, support, or safety.” #HarmReduction #HarmReductionSavesLives #Overdose #OverdoseEpidemic #EndOverdose

After quoting doctors and addiction specialists naming the effectiveness of harm reduction services, @48hillssf founder writes, “Never mind the evidence, though: San Francisco, after several decades, is moving to abandon harm reduction as a principle in its substance use policy. Harm reduction saves lives. In the long term, with adequate resources, it’s far more effective than incarceration and forced treatment.” Learn more below about the latest in the California city at the link in bio. #HarmReduction #HousingIsAHumanRight #HealthCareIsAHumanRight #HousingFirst #EndOverdose

Public health measures including fentanyl test strips can make the difference between life and death. We cannot further abandon our communities during the ongoing overdose epidemic. As Maritza Perez Medina, director of federal policy at @drugpolicyalliance shared with @cbsnews , “Overdose deaths have come down from the peak that we saw during COVID, and that’s great, and that was done intentionally, because there was a lot of investment from the government to ensure that communities had what they needed…Our fear is that if we are gutting all the things that work, that when people seek help, they won’t find any doors open,” Medina said. She continued, “We’re still in the midst of the overdose crisis. Federal funding cuts, coupled with taking away the real tools to help people...could very well lead to more drug use harms, including overdose.” Read more at the link in bio. @kentuckyharmreductioncoalition @preventionservicesnc @fyrebirdrecovery #Fentanyl #HarmReduction #HarmReductionSavesLives #Overdose #OverdoseEpidemic