Webinar

People Who Use Drugs are a risk group in the COVID-19 pandemic. Often, they experience low or no access to housing, employment, financial resources, social and health care, and other forms of structural exclusion and marginalization. Further, health problems are not uncommon, increasing the risk of a (fatal) COVID-19 infection, including long-term diseases such as COPD, HIV, TB, hepatitis, and other conditions which reduce the immune system. Harm reduction services are often the one and only contact point for PWUDs to access the health and social support needed.

Drug Consumption Rooms are an important element within the cascade of care and the delivery of harm reduction services. These professionally supervised healthcare facilities provide People Who Use Drugs with an environment for a safer and more hygienic consumption of drugs. As a result, drug-related morbidity, the transmission of diseases and/or overdose and mortality risks are reduced. Further, Drug Consumption rooms promote linkage to other health and social services and contribute to reducing the so-called drug-related public nuisances.

On May the 28th, Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network, organized a webinar to which experts in the field of Drug Consumption Rooms, Harm Reduction professionals, community members, drug users rights representatives attended. During the two hours of sessions, participants had the opportunity to sshare insights and to inform each other on recent developments in their practice, the challenges and the impact of COVID19 on the operational capacity of Drug Consumptions Rooms all over Europe. Further, this webinar offered participants the opportunity to discuss models of good practice, discover recent innovations in the field, and to discuss policy recommendations to ensure a sustainable provision of Drug Consumption Room services during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speakers:
Germany, Hamburg, Ragazza, Svenja Korte Langa
Netherlands, Amsterdam, Amoc, Cedric Charvet
Norway, City of Oslo, Hanne Langaas
Switzerland, Zürich, SEB, Florian Meyer
France, Gaia, Elisabeth Avril
Catalunya, Red Cross, Alejandro Fernandez
Portugal, GAT, Adriana Curado
Denmark, DCR H17, Rasmus Koberg
Luxembourg, Abrigado, Raul Schaf