Harm Reduction Approaches to Reduce Overdose Deaths

Overview

The Research Need

Harm reduction approaches connect people who use drugs with the services and resources they want and need, including protection against overdoses and infectious diseases like HIV, hepatitis C, and associated health problems. It is a major focus toward saving lives in the evolving opioid crisis. In 2021, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy prioritized harm reduction as one of the pillars of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Overdose Prevention Strategy. Research is needed toward identifying ways to enhance access to harm reduction services as well as to measure their effectiveness.

About the Program

This program will establish a national network of research projects that aim to study and improve the effectiveness, implementation, and impact of existing and new harm reduction policies and practices. Research supported by this program will be conducted in real-world settings and in collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders, who will help to ensure that the strategies being studied are sustainable and scalable. A single coordinating center will support the research projects by streamlining communication across the network, providing support related to data methodology, engaging community stakeholders about all network activities, and translating research findings so they can be used by researchers, practitioners, and communities.