Harm reduction, overdose prevention, and the future of treating America’s overdose epidemic

In February of this year, Providence became the first city in America to approve opening a state-sanctioned overdose prevention center. Sometimes known as safe injection sites, these are facilities where people can bring illegal drugs and consume them under the supervision of trained volunteers and health professionals. 

It’s one of the boldest experiments in the U.S. of an approach to addressing the drug overdose crisis known as “harm reduction,” which is focused less on forcing people to stop using drugs and instead on helping people use them more safely. 

On this episode, Dan Richards talks with two public health leaders in Rhode Island about this new overdose prevention center — how it will work, why it matters, and what it says about the future of addressing America’s drug overdose crisis. 

Guests on this episode:

• Colleen Daley Ndoye, executive director of Project Weber/RENEW, the organization that will be overseeing Rhode Island’s overdose prevention center
• Brandon Marshall, chair of epidemiology at Brown University. 

[whazzat]

May not be the right path, but we need to open to solutions, given our current track record.
As treatment introduction pathway, hopeful
I look forward to the series