Help Us Launch a New Harm Reduction Center

Join our efforts to get one up and running in Rhode Island

A Harm Reduction Center (HRC)* is a safe place people can go to use drugs they have obtained elsewhere. Trained staff monitor visitors for signs of overdose and are ready to administer naloxone, the overdose reversal medication, if needed. HRCs offer visitors community, safer use supplies, resources to test drugs for the presence of fentanyl, and pathways to various forms of treatment and medical care. At the more than 120 sanctioned HRCs that already exist outside the U.S., people have used drugs millions of times. Not a single person has died. These statistics hold true for the overdose prevention centers that opened in New York City in late November, where 59 overdoses were reversed in just the first three weeks, according to the New York City Department of Health.

In July 2021, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to pass legislation authorizing the creation of a Harm Reduction Center. The state then appointed a committee to craft regulations, which will be released this spring.

To receive updates and learn about how you can join the fight for this evidence-based overdose prevention strategy in Rhode Island, email ayolken@weberrenew.org.

*also called an overdose prevention center or a safe consumption site.