Harm reduction practices help make substance use safer and less harmful to the person using and the community around them. During our six-week social media campaign, which was created in collaboration with our public health and medical partners, we were able to highlight various harm reduction practices that help keep people safe and alive.
If you are not ready to go into treatment, remember these practices, as they will help keep you and the community around you safer as well as lessening your chances of a fatal overdose. Also remember that there is no one pathway to treatment. Treatment and the path to sustained recovery looks different for everyone. Some forms of harm reduction include:
Risk Reduction Materials
Risk reduction materials aid in reducing the negative effects of substance use and other high-risk behaviors that may be associated with substance use. Some examples of risk reduction materials include condoms, wound kits, one-shot kits and pipe holders.
These materials not only aim to reduce the spread of infections and viruses as a result of substance use but also aim to keep people safe while using substances.
Where to obtain risk reduction materials:
The COPE Center, 81 Pleasant Street in Brockton.
Monday – Friday 9:00am – 4:00pm.
https://www.bamsi.org/program/community-outreach-prevention-and-education/
Getting Tested Regularly
It is important to get tested regularly since bloodborne diseases can be spread through the sharing of needles and show no signs for the first 6 months.
The good news is that early detection and treatment can prevent the disease from weakening the immune system and progressing into AIDS. The earlier you start treatment for Hepatitis B & C the greater the chances it won’t lead to liver damage, liver cancer, liver failure or kidney disease.
Places to get tested in Plymouth County:
The COPE Center, 81 Pleasant Street in Brockton.
Monday – Friday 9:00am – 4:00pm
https://www.bamsi.org/program/community-outreach-prevention-and-education/
Drop-in Centers
Drop-In Centers are open house style events, where an individual can walk in and talk to community resource specialists. The community resource specialists can help in an array of ways including treatment placement, aftercare planning, narcan training, or offer simple conversation and support.
Additionally, the Drop-In Centers are a great resource for family members and loved ones as there are representatives from support groups, Narcan kits, and hope being offered in a welcoming, judgement-free atmosphere.
Syringe Access Programs
Syringe Access Programs are community-based programs that help provide individuals with access to sterile needles. These needles are provided to individuals at no cost. The syringe access programs also offer proper disposal of used syringes to help minimize the spread of blood borne diseases. Often times syringe access programs also offer Naloxone, Naloxone training, overdose prevention education, information on harm reduction practices, and referrals to treatment and counseling for STDs and other viruses.
Syringe Access Programs in Plymouth County:
The COPE Center, 81 Pleasant Street, Brockton.
https://www.bamsi.org/program/community-outreach-prevention-and-education/
Fentanyl Test Strips
Using fentanyl test strips allows individuals to test their substances for the presence of fentanyl. The outcome of the test will alert the individual to the presence of fentanyl., allowing them to make changes to their behavior. In recent studies, a number of individuals who used the test strips modified their behavior when fentanyl was present in the substance, making the chances of overdosing less likely.
Where to obtain Fentanyl Test Strips in Plymouth County:
The COPE Center located at 81 Pleasant Street in Brockton.
Monday – Friday 9:00am – 4:00pm
https://www.bamsi.org/program/community-outreach-prevention-and-education/
Always Use with Someone Else Present
If you overdose and someone else is present, they can call emergency medical services and administer Naloxone. An individual has a 99% chance of surviving an overdose when someone is on hand to call emergency medical services. If someone is not present, consider calling a friend or a loved one and remain on the line with them while you are using. If you stop responding, the person on the other line can hang up and call emergency medical services to your location. Additionally, if the person who is with you is also using, make sure you take turns, so that you can help each other if the other person overdoses. With fentanyl, overdoses occur so quickly that if two people are together and use at the same time, they can overdose at the same time. This can be avoided if people take turns.
Always Have Naloxone Handy
Carrying Naloxone (Narcan) and knowing how to use it can save someone’s life. Naloxone is an overdose reversal drug, most commonly given as an intranasal spray.
Naloxone can be obtained at your local pharmacy through a standing order in the state of Massachusetts. The cost of Naloxone at the pharmacy is the cost of your co-pay through your insurance. Naloxone can also be obtained at some Drop-In Centers, Learn to Cope meetings and the COPE Center in Brockton free of charge.
It is extremely important to have Naloxone on hand when you are using substances. In the event of an overdose someone you are with or someone passing by can administer the Naloxone and call emergency services. It is equally as important to carry Naloxone even if you yourself do not use substances, as you could save the life of a family member, loved one or stranger that is overdosing.
Naloxone can be obtained at the following locations in Plymouth County:
Drop-In: 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month at 400 Pleasant Street, East Bridgewater. 5-8:30pm. https://ebhopes.net/
Visit Learn to Cope’s Website for a meeting near you: https://www.learn2cope.org/meetings/
The COPE Center: 81 Pleasant Street in Brockton. Monday – Friday 9:00am – 4:00 pm https://www.bamsi.org/program/community-outreach-prevention-and-education/
Manet Health- 180 George Washington Blvd in Hull
2nd Wednesday of the Month from 4pm-7pm
Knowing What to do In the Event of an Overdose
There are certain actions that you should take when responding to an overdose:
- Assess the situation. Is the person exhibiting signs of an overdose? Do they need emergency medical services?
- Stimulate the person. To do this, you should take your knuckles and rub up and down the breast plate, applying a good amount of pressure.
- Call emergency medical services and have them dispatched to your location.
- Put the person in the recovery position. The recovery position is when a person is lying on their left side with their right hand supporting their head and their right knee bent.
- Administer CPR (if no pulse is present)
- Administer Naloxone if you are able (wait 3 minutes and continue rescue breathing before administering another dose of Naloxone if the person is still unresponsive)
Knowing the Signs of an Overdose
An overdose occurs when an individual takes too much of a substance. It affects the brain, liver, heart, lungs, and kidneys. During an overdose a person may be conscious and responsive yet may not be making any sense and cannot understand what you are saying to them. Street drugs aren’t regulated making it nearly impossible to know the potency of the drug and what exactly an individual is using.
Some possible signs of an overdose are:
- Unresponsive to any stimulus
- Cold to the touch
- Blueish/ greyish skin tone (Lips and fingertips go first)
- Vomiting
- Pinpoint pupils
- Slow, erratic or no pulse
- Shallow, erratic or no breathing