MaHRTI Newsletter
April 2021
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MaHRTI will be sharing harm reduction news and resources.
If there is anything you are seeking or interested in sharing,
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Leadership Series
The MaHRTI Leadership series is a sequence of workshops geared towards personal and professional development of staff in any service capacity. Workshops focus on self-awareness, other awareness, and group dynamics that promote more effective service and delivery. Workshops directly impact staff balance between managing tasks and managing others. This series is open to all harm reduction program staff.
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Team Building and Group Dynamics
Friday, May 7, 10am-12pm
This challenging energizer is a step up on building healthy relationships by taking those skills to the next level in small groups. Fun & hands-on, participants are immediately placed into group situations and challenged with tasks. Focus will be to understand the process of working with others and utilizing conflict management skills.
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Self Care to Community Care
Friday, May 21, 10am-12pm
Currently, the world is under an ample amount of stress due to the global pandemic. Staying inside and practicing social distancing can cause some people to not only feel stress, but also anxiety, loneliness and depression. Essentially, self-care can be any activity that refreshes your mind and body, and it is meant to add joy and fun to life. Practicing self-care is important for promoting individual growth, but it also improves the way we interact and connect with others. Regularly engaging in self-care promotes healthier relationships with family members, partners, friends, co-workers, and is especially important for those in caregiving roles.
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Overdose Response Programs Training of Trainers
Monday, May 24, 10am-12pm
This training is open to current, authorized Maryland Overdose Response Programs.
Registration link coming soon!
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Pre-recorded Trainings
MaHRTI has several pre-recorded trainings on our site. The trainings are available 24/7 and can be completed at your own pace. The topics include the following:
- Motivational Interviewing for People Who Use Drugs
- Safer Injection and Basic Wound Care
- De-Escalation and Conflict Management
- Maryland Overdose Response Program Training of Trainers
- Syringe Services Program Core Training Opening Session 12/8/2020
- Syringe Services Program Core Training Closing Session 12/16/2020
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Need Technical Assistance? We can help! |
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ACCESS 2021: Maryland Harm Reduction Conference - August 5, 2021
The Maryland Department of Health’s Center for Harm Reduction Services is excited to collaborate with local and national thought leaders, community-based organizations, and advocates within the community of people who use drugs to create a state harm reduction conference. Through workshops, seminars and panel discussions, the conference will highlight the collective efforts across the state towards ending the opioid crisis.
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There are a number of ways for you to attend. This conference will be a hybrid event, featuring engaging in-person and virtual sessions. Planning ahead for safety concerns this event will be held completely virtual if group meetings are not possible. In any event, you will not want to miss the opportunity to attend this conference.
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Harm Reduction Collaborative Calls
This schedule is tentative and subject to change. Updates will be announced by the Maryland Department of Health Center for Harm Reduction Services.
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- Wednesday, April 14, 1pm-2pm - Syringe Service Programs
- Tuesday, April 20, 1pm-2pm - ACCESS grantees
- Wednesday, May 12, 1pm-2pm - Harm Reduction Collaborative Call
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Maryland Harm Reduction Action Network
The Maryland Harm Reduction Action Network (MHRAN) meets virtually each month, and offers opportunities to network with other harm reductionists in the area to discuss local and statewide needs. Please reach out to Owen@BaltimoreHarmReduction.org to ask about the next meeting.
For more information on the MHRAN, visit their website!
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BRIDGES Coalition
BRIDGES is an advocacy coalition working to end overdose and criminalization by promoting safe spaces, dignity, health, and justice for people who use drugs.
Interested in becoming a part of BRIDGES? Fill out the form at the bottom of their website!
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COVID Resources
Vaccine Information
Harm Reduction Supplies
Request supplies from MDH CHRS by filling out this form
ACCESS is a centralized platform for local health departments and non-profit organizations to
access resources made available by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) to improve health
outcomes among people who use drugs. ACCESS resources currently available at no cost through
this form include intramuscular injectable naloxone, Narcan nasal spray, and fentanyl test
strips.
Naloxone Access
Additional Resources
Have a resource you would like us to share? Need something you don't see here? Let us know! Email us at mahrti@bhsbaltimore.org
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"My dream is that policymakers start thinking with their hearts. It always comes down to [policymakers] putting their livelihood before humanity."
- Ricky Morris on legislating and liberation dreams, 2021 Harm Reduction Advocacy Day
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The Office of National Drug Control Policy released the roadmap the administration plans to use during their first year in office. They will concentrate on the following seven specific areas:
- Expanding access to evidence-based treatment
- Advancing racial equity in the administration’s approach to drug policy
- Enhancing evidence-based harm reduction efforts
- Supporting evidence-based prevention efforts to reduce youth substance use
- Reducing the supply of illicit substances
- Advancing recovery-ready workplaces and expanding the addiction treatment workforce
- Expanding access to recovery support services
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the addiction and overdose epidemic, leaving many families and communities hurting,” said acting director Regina LaBelle said in a news release. “These priorities lay out the aggressive, evidence-based, whole-of-government response that we need to implement in the first year of this Administration in order to bend the curve.”
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Overriding Governor Hogan's veto, Maryland legislators passed landmark police reform laws aimed at transforming policing in the state.
The Maryland Police Accountability Act will change how officers accused of misconduct are disciplined, allow public scrutiny of complaints and internal affairs files, and create a new legal standard requiring that police use only “necessary” and “proportional” force. Officers who use excessive force will face criminal penalties, including up to 10 years in prison. The legislation also limits acquisition of "no-knock" search warrants or raid homes at night.
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"With public pressure on them, mayors and city councils responded. In 2020 budget votes, advocacy groups won over $840m in direct cuts from US police departments and at least $160m investments in community services, according to an analysis by Interrupting Criminalization, an initiative at the Barnard Center for Research on Women. In 25 cities, such as Denver and Oakland, officials moved to remove police from schools, saving an additional $34m."
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False positive results on fentanyl test strips can be caused by methamphetamine, MDMA, and diphenhydramine at concentrations at or above 1 mg/ml. Diphenhydramine, the primary ingredient in the allergy medication Benadryl, is a common cutting agent in heroin. Because the fentanyl test strips can detect extremely low concentrations of fentanyl, it is recommended to dilute sample significantly to avoid interference from potential cutting agents and stimulants. |
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Harm Reduction Journal publishes research focusing on the prevalent patterns of psychoactive drug use, the public policies meant to control them, and the search for effective methods of reducing the adverse medical, public health, and social consequences associated with both drugs and drug policies.
All articles published by Harm Reduction Journal are made freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication, without subscription charges or registration barriers. To find out more or read articles, visit their website.
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Each month, we will share some of our favorite things, including movies, books, recipes, and much more. |
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Emily: It didn't take a scientific paper to tell me that I'm more tired after a day of video calls than a day of phone calls, but it's been validating to see that researchers are taking this seriously (for example, Nonverbal Overload: A Theoretical Argument for the Causes of Zoom Fatigue). I'm using phone calls instead of video calls as my default and love that I can move around while I'm on the phone -- whether it's moving around the room or going for a walk outside.
Miera: My favorite elusive animal is Bigfoot (lol)! I just finished reading a fictional account of a Bigfoot attack called Devolution by Max Brooks, who is the author of World War Z (which is fantastic!) and the son of legend Mel Brooks. My current baking obsession are these homemade Berger cookies!! I like to switch up the flavor by adding different extracts to the ganache like peppermint, hazelnut, or coconut!! I personally think they taste better than the original
Sal: I'm currently reading God's Wolf. My most recent food interest was "Nashville Hot Cauliflower" and "BBQ Duck Wings".
Rae: I’ve been a long time fan of the podcast Prohibited, hosted by Scott Cecil, who is also a Mt Rainier City Council member and a drug policy reform advocate. The latest episode, “ Harm Reduction and Cannabis Policy,” is an interview he did on another show called History of Drugs in Society, in which he weaves his insightful analysis of current policy with open and candid personal shares.
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Need Technical Assistance? We can help! |
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