On May 30, 2024, The MA DPH Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) hosted its first ever Harm Reduction Conference.
There were over 250 attendees from across the state, many of whom work at DPH-funded Syringe Service Programs (SSPs).
Click here for Massachusetts’s SSP locator map
The morning plenary, titled "Harm Reduction History is Black & Brown History," was moderated by Pedro Alvaraz, Director of Harm Reduction Operations at Tapestry (pictured below, center).
Panelists discussed the work of the Black and Brown harm reductionists whose work has led the field to where it is today, and addressed the harmful impact of the war on drugs, specifically to people of color.
Discussion centered on ways to learn from the past and move toward a future where the impacts of racial disparities in substance use and harm reduction services are centered.
Panelists, L to R: Joy Rucker, Co-Executive Director, The Black Harm Reduction Network
Kaylena Donalson, Harm Reduction Specialist, Health Imperatives
Richard Johnson, Director, New North Citizens Council's Deborah Hunt Prevention & Education Center
Monique Tula, Deputy Director, Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective
Fourteen other sessions were held throughout the day, and featured topics related to serving individuals using Harm Reduction Principles, including sessions on Drug Checking, Compassionate Naloxone Administration, Safe Drug Use Supplies and how to use them, Language for Liberation, and How to 'Harm Reduction' Yourself. An afternoon session focused on The Oral History of Harm Reduction in Massachusetts.
Teena Hallett (she/her) is a Program Manager at AHOPE and person who uses drugs.
Teena spearheaded the creation of a beautiful and informative 'zine, titled "Harm Reduction Historia – A Collection of New England Harm Reduction Legacies"
To learn more about Harm Reduction Practices, please visit the National Harm Reduction Coalition’s webpage or SAMHSA’s Harm Reduction webpage – both link to further resources.