For much of the past two decades the US has been battling an “opioid epidemic”. Yet despite the near constant headlines, and the billions of dollars in government funding, fatal opioid overdoses continue to increase. Progress is so slow in coming, it makes one wonder if the government or communities are really doing anything about it – and if they are, why isn’t anything working?
In Hartford, Connecticut, street outreach workers with the Connecticut Harm Reduction Alliance (CTHRA) respond to opioid overdoses alongside police, fire and EMS. In this episode, Mark Jenkins, CTHRA Founder and Executive Director, talks about CTHRA's work on the frontlines preventing fatal overdoses and much more.
To learn more about Connecticut Harm Reduction Alliance visit their website here.
Follow CTHRA on: Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn
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EPISODE CHAPTERS:
CTHRA's mission, goals, and objectives (00:30)
How CTHRA was founded (05:16)
First steps Mark took to start his own effort (07:39)
Why bare bones syringe exchange street outreach was the original service Mark focused on (09:55)
A day in the life of a street outreach team (21:07)
A day in the life of the mobile response team (23:08)
How CTHRA’s overdose response system works (36:23)
On-scene dynamics with 911 responders (40:39)
Security concerns of first responders (45:02)
Fentanyl misinformation (49:52)
How can we reduce fentanyl related deaths? (54:45)
Responding to critics (59:27)
The immediate goals for CTHRA (01:03:11)
Guiding principles that have worked for Mark while doing this work. (01:07:12)
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HOST
Jason Friesen is the Founder and Executive Director of Trek Medics International, a 501c3-registered nongovernmental organization (NGO) dedicated to improving access to emergency response networks in communities across the globe through innovative mobile phone technologies.
Learn more about Trek Medics International by visiting their website, and for more info on the Beacon Crisis Response Platform visit here.
Follow Trek Medics on: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
Theme song: "Happy Feliz" by ¡Big Grande! (used with permission).
