Beyond Narcan and Clean Needles: An Integrated, Harm Reduction Approach to the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Underserved Communities
Recent research has highlighted the significant success the harm reduction approach has had in reducing death and disease from opioid use, however these programs often rest on assumptions of access to treatment for infectious diseases, mental health conditions, and basic primary care services that are often not accessible to individuals who use drugs. Access is limited by stigma, transportation issues, complexity of health conditions, and many other barriers, and this life saving treatment is often unavailable to the most vulnerable individuals.