May 4th - 3:30 PM
(refreshments & informal conversation at 3:00 p.m.)
Where: Cal Poly Kennedy Library, 2nd Floor Café Lounge
"Harm Reduction: Intravenous drug use solutions in SLO County"
What is Harm Reduction? The term refers to a set of practical strategies that reduce negative consequences of drug use, incorporating a spectrum of strategies from safer use, to managed use to abstinence. Harm reduction strategies meet people who use drugs "where they're at," addressing conditions of use along with the use itself, such as distributing "Overdose Prevention Kits."
Because harm reduction demands that interventions and policies designed to serve people who use drugs reflect specific individual and community needs, there is no universal definition of, or formula for, implementing harm reduction.
We'll hear from a Cal Poly Biological Sciences faculty/student research team who evaluated a needle-exchange program, approved by SLO County Board of Supervisors, administered by SLO County Public Health department, funded by HIV/AIDS prevention money, and run by volunteers. Having lost external funding, the local exchange still operates relying on private funding and volunteer support. Perspectives on local harm reduction strategies and global issues will be shared by Cal Poly's research team to spark a conversation about this practical approach to living with drug use.
Community members, including physicians, clinical health administrators, and volunteers for action will attend to provide current perspectives on ongoing strategies related to Harm Reduction in the Central Coast.
See you at Science Café!
