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.

Outreach, professional street work & community-based services is an essential component of social and health care at all time. In the context of the COVID19 pandemic, they have been ever more critical for People Who Use Drugs and other marginalized and underserved communities such as sex workers, or migrants. From distributing timely and adequate information to providing life-saving medicines or using paraphernalia, outreach services have been and still are fundamental in protecting and supporting people who use drugs in a moment in which services had to adapt to changes in national guidelines, while public space usage was been redefined.

On June the 3rd, Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network, organized a webinar to which experts in the field of outreach, Harm Reduction professionals, community members, drug users rights representatives attended. During the two hours of sessions, participants had the opportunity to share insights and to inform each other on recent developments in their practice, the challenges experienced by their communities and the impact of COVID19 on the operational capacity of outreach in Europe. Further, the webinar offered participants the opportunity to discuss models of good practice and to reflect on the lessons learned upon which to develop a more sustainable provision of outreach services during and beyond the COVID19 pandemic.

Speakers:
Denis Dedajić, Association Margina, Bosnia Herzegovina
Teresa Sousa, Apdes, Porto, Portugal
Börge Erdal/Anna Sabina Soggiu, Oslo, Norway
Moro Yapha, Fixpunkt, Berlin, Germany
Mart Kalvet, Lunest, Estonia
Sara Woods, Mainline, Amsterdam
Tony Duffin, Ana Liffey, Dublin, Ireland
Jane Mounteney, EMCDDA