Content warning: This article includes mentions of drug use, overdose and deaths from overdose.
Community advocates, overdose survivors and policymakers discussed harm reduction and overdose prevention at a Monday evening panel. The Donovan Program for Recovery and Substance-Free Activities hosted the event in collaboration with the School of Public Health鈥檚 People, Place and Health Collective.
Titled 鈥淓xploring Harm Reduction in Rhode Island and Nationwide鈥� and moderated by Assistant Professor of Epidemiology Alexandra Collins, the panel discussed navigating harm reduction from different personal and policy standpoints. Speakers emphasized the need for comprehensive and widespread legislation to target the overdose crisis in Rhode Island and across the United States, focusing on the new Overdose Prevention Center, or OPC, coming to Providence this year.
Collins shared that last year the United States had over 112,000 overdose deaths, the on record. Additionally, she noted that racial disparities in overdose deaths are growing, situating the panel in the historical context of the war on drugs.
In an interview with The Herald, Collins said 鈥渢hat kind of context is critical鈥� to understanding the current overdose crisis. She added that it鈥檚 important to note that early harm reduction efforts did not come from academics, but from impacted communities.
鈥淚 may have a PhD, but I鈥檓 not an expert in this,鈥� Collins said. 鈥淲e really need to have all of these conversations driven by community. It鈥檚 always really critical to have dedicated space for people who are actually experts.鈥�
Haley McKee 鈥� one of the panelists and a policymaker, lobbyist and overdose survivor 鈥� shared how she began advocating for harm reduction legislation after being released from prison. Since then, McKee has worked to 鈥渉elp community members who are directly impacted learn to find their voices.鈥�
McKee helped advocate for a 2021 that authorized OPCs in Rhode Island. She said that bill was easier to pass than others because advocates were 鈥渨orking on this for a few years really quietly.鈥� She noted that OPCs have less of a financial impact on the prison system, adding that OPCs don鈥檛 鈥渢hreaten the existence of law enforcement.鈥�
Director of the Governor鈥檚 Overdose Task Force at the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services Catherine Schultz added that Rhode Island鈥檚 OPCs aren鈥檛 going to be funded using taxpayer money, which contributed to getting the bill passed. She said it also helped to have medical officials and health professionals supporting the legislation.
Senior Policy Counsel at the Drug Policy Alliance Grey Gardner said national political trends aren鈥檛 moving entirely in support of OPCs. 鈥淭he efforts that have been made in Rhode Island are so unique,鈥� Gardner said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of fundamental work that needs to be done 鈥� to get policymakers to understand the fundamental concepts behind OPCs.鈥�
The panelists all noted that the stigma around people who use drugs is a massive roadblock in getting legislation passed. Community Outreach Coordinator at the Community Care Alliance Christa Thomas-Sowers works in Woonsocket 鈥� which has the highest overdose rate in the state. She ran a needle exchange out of her backpack and now works at a drop-in center to provide people who use drugs with safe-use supplies.
鈥淧eople balk at the idea of (OPCs) because it鈥檚 a little taboo,鈥� Thomas-Sowers said, adding that it's important for people to put themselves in the 鈥渟hoes of people who are currently dealing with chaotic substance use.鈥�
鈥淲e have an individual who comes in regularly to the drop-in center who confided in me that they have overdosed 75 times,鈥� Thomas-Sowers said. At harm reduction centers, she said that 鈥減eople can come in, see a familiar face, have someone greet them by name (which) really makes a difference.鈥�
The panelists emphasized the importance of humanizing the issue of drug addiction. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 met a single person who can鈥檛 relate on some level to 鈥� personal loss,鈥� from overdose, McKee said.
Truly addressing overdose issues requires systemic change, the panelists agreed. 鈥淲e need housing for people,鈥� Thomas-Sowers said. 鈥淚鈥檓 disgusted by the housing crisis in this state. It鈥檚 making the work of harm reductionists and people in recovery 90 times harder.鈥�
Gardner added that, in other states, Good Samaritan laws 鈥� which protect individuals who intervene in cases of overdose from legal repercussions 鈥� need to be expanded. McKee said that the overdose crisis is 鈥渁 race and class issue鈥� and that 鈥渁nti-racist policy鈥� is needed to address it.
McKee urged community members to 鈥済et to know your elected officials.鈥� She stated that students can be particularly helpful in escalating direct actions, noting the greater risks in formerly incarcerated people doing so.
But Schultz underscored the importance that efforts toward change are 鈥渓ed by the community and the people impacted.鈥�
Katherine Hill, a PhD student at the Yale School of Public Health, attended the panel and said she was inspired by McKee鈥檚 comments on direct action: students at institutions that 鈥渉ave a lot of power鈥� can 鈥渦se that power to affect change.鈥�
Katherine Dunham, a senior research assistant at SPH, said she thinks it鈥檚 important that the University gives back to the broader community. 鈥淭here鈥檚 such amazing stuff going on in the community that鈥檚 very under-resourced,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he University could support them in getting their monetary and infrastructural needs met.鈥�
Collins hopes people left the panel 鈥渇eeling like this issue is humanized (and) people feel inspired to contribute in some way.鈥�
Ciara Meyer is a Senior Staff Writer covering the Beyond Brown beat. She is from Saratoga Springs, New York and plans on concentrating in Statistics and English nonfiction. In her free time, she loves scrapbooking and building lego flowers.
