Effective Harm Reduction Responses to the Worsening Overdose Crisis Caused by COVID-19
Channel: Robert Guerra
Date: 2020-10-27

Hear how COVID-19 is worsening the U.S. overdose crisis and threatening the survival of harm reduction programs critical to preventing overdose and the spread of infectious diseases.

The Panelists will describe how the crisis is impacting regions nationwide and why harm reduction services are uniquely positioned to effectively address the syndemic of overdose and COVID-19.

Panelists include:

Moderator: Maia Szalavitz, Author of New York Times bestseller, Unbroken Brain:  A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction 

Ricky N. Bluthenthal, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Social Justice & Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California 

Jessica Martinez, Methamphetamine Services Specialist, Mobile Outreach Services – HIPS, Washington D.C. 

Jim Thacker, Harm Reduction Program Manager, University of Kentucky’s (UK) and Kentucky Department for Public Health’s (KDPH) statewide Harm Reduction Initiative 

Michelle Wright, Interim Director of Policy and Advocacy, National Harm Reduction Coalition