message from executive director
New York Harm Reduction Educators has been pioneering Harm Reduction programs for over 17 years. Originally founded as an underground needle exchange program to respond to the needs of injection drug users in the midst of a public health crisis, NYHRE has broadened its scope. Remaining fully committed to the underserved community of drug users, NHYRE now provides a comprehensive services that address the needs of drug users, their families and their communities. These include: syringe exchange, harm reduction services, mental health counseling, HIV testing, hepatitis screening and vaccinations, case management, stress reduction and acupuncture, treatment adherence and support groups, recovery readiness and drug treatment referral services and several evidence-based HIV prevention interventions, including the first Latino-developed and evaluated Spanish intervention recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . NYHRE delivers services in offices in Hunts Point in the Bronx and in East Harlem. NYHRE’s street-side services are delivered through 4 mobile units and 4 street-side tents located at 10 sites across East Harlem and the South Bronx.
NYHRE recognizes that it is impossible to separate drug use from its deep and tangled roots. A response must be broad and just as deep, taking on a system which marginalizes a large part of the population. Traditional service delivery models can occur in an environment which is perceived to be negative or hostile to drug users Harm reduction is 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. The foundation of the basic philosophy is:
- People with chemical dependency are human beings
- Each person with a chemical dependency is a unique individual
- People with chemical dependency have their own culture, which determines what is important, what is logical, how to interpret the world, how to treat others and which types of intervention will work
Harm reduction understands that people use drugs for many different reasons, but there is usually a need being met by that drug use. It may no longer be the original need that caused the initiation of drug use, but a need remains, nonetheless. Harm reduction, therefore, seeks to separate the behavior from the consequences by changing behaviors to less harmful ones, exercising control over certain behaviors associated with use and by being more thoughtful/reflective about use. As such, NYHRE has remained grounded in harm reduction, in recognition of that drug use does not take place in a vacuum. It has deep and complex roots that must be addressed. It is a serious commitment, and one which is embodied in our mission statement:
New York Harm Reduction Educators (NYHRE) is devoted to promoting the health, safety and well-being of marginalized, low-income persons who use drugs, their loved ones and their communities. NYHRE recognizes the historical, structural, socio-economic and environmental inequalities that foster adverse outcomes among drug users, particularly those from communities of color. Vigorously advocating for social justice, we strive to redress these disparities by providing vital resources, tools and support that enhance quality of life and facilitate the prevention of diseases disproportionately affecting persons who use drugs, including HIV and viral hepatitis. To this end, we deliver integrated health and social services that promote physical, psychological, social and spiritual wellness. Utilizing a grass roots approach, we prioritize peer involvement in all aspects of our programming.
I hope you will join NYHRE’s Board, staff, volunteers and participants in order to improve the quality of life and strive for increase social justice for the persons in the communities we serve. Thank you for your support and intersest in New York Harm Reduction Educators.
Sincerely,
Carol Lemus
Executive Director
“Praying and expecting everything to come from God and not doing anything yourself is not praying. This is laziness; this is alienation. This is passivity, conformity. This is not the time, dear brothers and sisters to say: it is God’s will. Many things happen that are not God’s will. When people can contribute something of themselves to improve the situation and ask God for the courage to do so, then there is prayer.”
Monseñor Oscar Arnulfo Romero (1979)
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