What We Learned From This Year’s WNY Harm Reduction Conference

The more we talk about drug use, the less stigma will prevent people who need help from seeking it. At this year’s WNY Harm Reduction Conference, we teamed up with the New York State Harm Reduction Association to host two-days of discussions and workshops on evidence-based care for people who use drugs. By identifying key issues affecting people who use drugs, we can make a difference in the lives of directly impacted people. Check out a few of the things we learned from this year’s conference.

The Importance of Harm Reduction for People Who Use Drugs

According to Emma Fabian, associate vice president of Harm Reduction at Evergreen Health, harm reduction is about providing care to people in an effort to reduce the potentially negative consequences of behavior that may come from drug use. For many folks that use drugs it is not just as easy as stopping right away. It is essential to provide folks with different tools and meet people where they’re at. That’s harm reduction.

“We provide some of the only low barrier harm reduction programs for people who use drugs in Western New York, actually,” Emma said. “By low barrier, we mean that we don’t require a whole lot of patients in order to receive these basic services. Some examples of low barrier or low threshold programs are needle exchange, Narcan to prevent overdose death, access to a welcoming place to talk with a skilled person about substance use and the new drop-in center where folks can take a shower, do laundry, have snacks or take part in open groups.”

Arm Yourself With Narcan

Did you know that carrying Narcan or Naloxone can save a life? Narcan is a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of overdose from opioids. Narcan kits are available free of charge from Evergreen Health and our drug user health services offer Narcan training, which takes less than 10 minutes. More and more, fentanyl is being added to drugs that would otherwise not result in overdose. So, look out for yourself and others by carrying Narcan. You could save a life!

Be Aware of Fentanyl

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is similar to morphine but 50-100 times more potent. More than ever, fentanyl is being found in drugs like heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Since fentanyl is so strong, it increases the risk for accidental overdose, especially when people don’t know they’re taking it.
We encourage folks to spread the message to people who use drugs and those who love people who use drugs that fentanyl is widespread in our community, but also, we are here to provide support. One way we do so is by providing fentanyl testing strips free of charge. That way, folks can test their supply and act accordingly. Both our drug user services and harm reduction mobile unit have free testing strips for anyone who would like them.

Practicing Safer Drug Use

We learned that people who inject drugs are at risk of contracting HIV and Hepatitis C. It is important to lessen the transmission of blood-borne illness by creating syringe exchanges where folks are offered a safe and welcoming place for the services and support they need. At Evergreen, our Syringe Exchange Program offers patients clean needles and injection tools, overdose prevention training and safer injection counseling with our peers and health care professionals.

The Importance of Peer-to-Peer Resource Groups for People Who Use Drugs

During this year’s conference we learned about the effects of the ongoing opioid crisis from individuals with lived experience. Members of Evergreen’s Drug User Health Coalition, made up of current and former people who use drugs, spoke about the importance of ending stigma associated with drug use and advocated for creating spaces where they can be heard and understood, rather than looked down on or turned away from. Additionally, the group shared their previous experience around advocating for issues like syringe decriminalization, medication assisted treatment in jails and prisons or marijuana regulation and legalization. Learn more about our Drug User Health Coalition.