The Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Coalition (PAHRC) is a collaboration between various organizations including treatment providers, harm reduction programs, medical entities, social service agencies, academia, criminal justice reform projects, activists, and ordinary people.

The mission of PAHRC is to promote the health, dignity, and human rights of individuals who use drugs and communities impacted by drug use. Recognizing that social inequity, criminalization, and stigma silence those affected most, we advocate for policies that improve the quality of life for people who use drugs, people in recovery, and their communities. 

PAHRC is dedicated to advocating for, and with, individuals who are currently using substances to receive competent care and comprehensive services. Our immediate goal is to expand access to sterile injection equipment, naloxone, and other harm reduction oriented services throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We welcome anyone who is interested in promoting evidence-based and humane responses to substance use to join us!

 

  • Latest from the blog

    Amelia Hoge
    posted by | 35sc
    January 20, 2019

    Meet Lois Hagarty: Influential Lobbyist Standing with PAHRC to Fight for Syringe Service Programs

    Pennsylvania Harm Reduction Coalition (PAHRC) is excited to announce our newest partnership with Lois Sherman Hagarty—a 13-year veteran of the Pennsylvania Legislature and principal at State Street Advisors. We are incredibly grateful that Lois has agreed to support our mission at PAHRC by taking us on as a pro bono client and support our work on expanding access to sterile syringes for people who use drugs. Working with her comes at a critical time for our organization and for the state of Pennsylvania. She will be an invaluable resource as we continue to advocate for much-needed changes that help improve the quality of life for people who use drugs, people in recovery, and their communities. One of these much-needed changes include implementing Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) across Pennsylvania. SSPs, also referred to as needle exchange programs, syringe exchange programs, or syringe access programs, reduce the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C, reduce overdose deaths, and increase entry into substance use treatment (people who interact with SSPs are five times more likely to enter treatment).
    read more
    Brooke M Feldman, Msw
    posted by | 43sc
    January 29, 2018

    Harm Reduction Works

    For many, the reality that harm reduction and recovery go hand in hand can be challenging to see.  The idea that people ought to be engaged, supported and empowered, even while actively using substances and without the requirement of abstinence, can be difficult for many who view abstinence as paramount to recovery.  Some people living in recovery may believe that the act of supporting people while in their active substance use and allowing them the right to use can serve as a barrier to people finding recovery –  this line of thinking typically comes out in statements such as “we are preventing people from hitting rock bottom, and hitting rock bottom is necessary for people to be ready for recovery.”
    read more
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