Harm Reduction @Work: What a blast #EHRC21 was!

One of the participants shared her feelings after #EHRC21 with the phrase; the better the high, the bigger the comedown. We have waited long enough to have such a get-together, and it was a blast.

The Conference had a record number of participants. Over 400 people from 43 countries, including people from outside Europe such as the USA, Russia, Canada, and Lebanon, gathered in Prague from the 10th to the 12th of November. Overcoming the difficulties posed by the COVID19 pandemic, harm reductionists remained upbeat until the last minute. Even participants from afar continents like Australia, Africa, South America and Central Asia were hoping they could travel, until the very last minute. Staying positive is a trait we all share in the field of Harm Reduction, after all. To enable a wider audience, we also live-streamed some of the sessions with over 150 viewers.

The sessions were chaired by 28 representatives of organisations from across Europe. There were 116 speakers covering extensively urgent and current topics in the human rights movement of people who use drugs, sex workers, people experiencing homelessness and other marginalised communities. Just to name some. The biggest downer during the Conference was having to choose what to attend during parallel sessions because everything was equally exciting. 

Apologies for all the statistics but is this not absolutely incredible that the Conference thrived in such a fashion? So here comes a toast to all harm reductionists in the world.

You rock! Harm Reduction goes on!

..

Could you not attend for whatever reason?
See below ideas on how you can do a thorough follow-up:

The online discussions during the conference can be tracked down in social media with the hashtags #HRAtWork and #EHRC21, in case of arousal of curiosity 🙂

We are now busy uploading all shareable online. In the meantime, HERE are images from the Conference and HERE is the video teaser from the Conference done by the amazing Drug Reporter foundation.

Last, but not least important, either subscribe to our newsletter to not miss out on the news or follow us on social media via @CorrelationNet.

We would like to wholeheartedly thank all the Conference partners, chairs partners, speakers and participants for their time, energy and support in making the #EHRC21 memorable. Together, we will move the unmovable.

URGENT SUPPORT NEEDED! – Romanian Hospitals Lack Anti-Retroviral Medicines

Urgent Request for Support | For far too long, vital medicines for the health of people living with HIV have been missing from Romanian hospitals.  The Ministry of Health has finally promised a solution to this situation by the end of October; in the meantime, patients are forced to seek support from NGOs and the international community.

As a result of a lack of funds allocated to HIV medication by the Ministry of Health, and a budget rectification postponed for too long, hospitals have been unable to purchase vital medication. Since August, several hospitals in Romania have faced a lack, or complete absence, of HIV medication. In Bucharest, two of the largest hospitals have been forced to give anti-retroviral treatment (ART) medication for only a week, instead of a month, due to low stocks. Other hospitals in the country are also completely out of drugs, and this has an extremely negative impact on those living with HIV.

 


Hospitals marked in red have been reported by patients living with HIV has having shortages of ART drugs.
Those in yellow have been reported at least once. Source: Tratament ARV, 22nd  of September, 2021.

On 13 August, 2021, members of the LGBTQI community, as well as organizations in the field of drug use and HIV/AIDS, participated in a protest in front of the Ministry of Health. After an ad-hoc meeting, the Health Minister, Ioana Mihaila, compromised by adopting a Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS by the end of October.

Despite these promises, the community of people living with HIV in Romania is experiencing an urgent need of support. The current situation endangers the lives of people living with HIV. ART drugs keep people alive and well. Those who start drug treatment, however, have to stay on the drugs; if they don’t, the virus in their body evolves into a drug-resistant strain, putting them at further risk of not being able to use their personalized treatment scheme. As a result, patients must be re-evaluated, other (and often more expensive) drugs may be necessary, and they face the additional risk of their bodies not accepting the new treatment.

Contrary to the trend across Europe, Romania, particularly its capital, Bucharest, has seen a drastic increase in HIV infection rates in the last decade.  This is fuelled by the use of synthetic drugs and the lack of adequate harm reduction services.

 

Absence of drugs, an endemic situation in Romania
This is not a new situation; limited access to treatment, reduced stocks or absence of medicines is a recurrent problem for people living with HIV in Romania.  In the absence of a national program that can cover the costs of HIV treatment throughout the year, the authorities offer improvised solutions, and hospitals have become accustomed to borrowing drugs from each other when they are gone. Tratament ART, the national platform for monitoring access of people living with HIV in Romania to medicines, has been reporting on similar cases in hospitals for some time. Alongside this, the EU HIV/HCV/TB Civil Society Forum and different local NGOs have been urging the Romanian government for more than a decade to take steps to ensure sufficient drug supply.

Support for the community left without medication
Ana Mohr, representative of MozaiQ, points out that the LGTBQI community is among the hardest affected, and that people living with HIV are facing a more pressing situation by the day.  Within this context, national and international NGOs in Romania are urgently collecting medicines from international donations, other NGOs, doctors, and activists from all over Europe.

Currently, there is a high need for the following drugs: Lamivudine/ Abracavir (Kivexa), Tenofovir/emtricitabine (Truvada), Reyataz, Genvoya, Dovato, Tivicay, Triumeq, Lamivudine/emtricitabine, Lamivudine/zidovudine (Combivir), Dolutegravir, Efavirenz

If you, your colleagues or contacts, have access to one or more of the above drugs and can share them, MozaiQ will be very grateful.  You can send them to their office for further distribution.

More information:
https://www.libertatea.ro/stiri/de-ce-au-ramas-spitalele-din-romania-cu-un-stoc-redus-de-medicamente-pentru-pacienii-hiv-3732218
https://romania.europalibera.org/a/romania-hiv-lipsa-medicamente/31444527.html

Contact:
mozaiqlgbt@gmail.com

 

Developing a new Strategy for 2021-2025

Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network is excited to invite you to join us in our upcoming Harm Reduction Labs. Currently, the Network is developing a new Strategy for 2021-2025 through a process that includes all stakeholders in the Harm Reduction movement.

Running alongside the preparations for the upcoming European Harm Reduction Conference 2021, the Harm Reduction Labs will offer the possibility of exploring collective solutions and imagining what harm reduction can be. In addition to analysing current themes and approaches within the harm reduction movement, each Lab will offer space to come together and identify common and urgent future questions that address broader topics of social justice, bodily autonomy, and care, among others.

Programme:
HR Lab #1 | Sex Work, Migration and Homelessness [30 September, 15h – 16:30h]
HR Lab #2 | Gender Identities, Gender Expressions and Sex Characteristics [7 October, 15h – 16:30h]
HR Lab #3 | Funding & Sustainability [14 October, 15h – 16:30h]
HR Lab #4 | Digital Transformation & Online Spaces [21 October, 15h – 16:30h]
HR Lab #5 | Youth & Recreational Settings [28 October, 15h – 16:30h]
HR Lab #6 | Stimulants [4 November, 15h – 16:30h]
HR Lab #7 | Community-Led Research [2 December, 15h – 16:30h]
HR Lab #8 | Care & Pleasure [9 December, 15h – 16:30h]

From your point of view, what is urgent for the harm reduction movement to consider in the coming period?

Please, register now to any of the Labs to share your thoughts with us.
If you have any questions, you may also contact Roberto Perez Gayo at rpgayo@correlation-net.org

COVID-19 in Marginalised Groups – Challenges, actions and voices

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented crisis for governments and health systems, and has severely impacted the health, lives and livelihood of millions of people worldwide.

While COVID-19 has affected everyone, it has had particular impact among marginalised communities such as homeless people, LGTBI people, people who use drugs, prisoners, sex workers and undocumented migrants. The pandemic has amplified existing challenges among these groups, who already face a high risk of poor health and various barriers in accessing healthcare and support services. The Nobody Left Outside (NLO) initiative recently explained these challenges and issued policy recommendations in a briefing paper for the WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development.

The webinar “COVID-19 in Marginalised Groups – Challenges, actions and voices” organised in collaboration with the European Health Forum Gastein concludes the NLO Week 2020 – a week of online activities focusing on the unmet healthcare needs of marginalised communities. In this webinar, NLO civil society participants, academics and policymakers will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on marginalised groups, the gaps and unintended consequences of government responses, and how we can ensure future health systems and recovery measures reach everyone.

Speakers include:

Moderator: Boris Azaïs, Director, Public Policy Europe & Canada, MSD

COVID-19 Resource Centre

To support people who use drugs and other marginalized and underserved communities, as well as health and social workers delivering services under challenging conditions to bring this outbreak to a close, Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network is developing this Coronavirus Resource Centre. This capacity-building initiative complements our advocacy activities and the Joint Position on the Continuity of Harm Reduction Services During the COVID-19 Crisis that we published together with the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network, and the Rights Reporter Foundation. 

This Resource Centre brings together contributions, materials, experiences of our members, partners and allies. New/Updated materials come first, as situations change very quickly.

If you discover any out-of-date links or if there would be any links that could be included, please, let us know at this address: rpgayo@correlation-net.org

 

STATEMENTS | POSITION PAPERS | ADVOCACY

Coalition Plus, IDPC, HRI, INPUD, C-EHRN, INHSU, TAG | COVID-19: An Opportunity For POlicy Reform [June, 26th]

RCC-THV | Call to Action in Response to COVID-19 [May, 14th]

UNAIDS | Sex Workers Must not be Left Behind in the Response to COVID-19 [April, 8th]

TGEU | COVID-19 & Trans People [April, 6th]

INPUD, HRI, EHRA, IDPC et al | Call to Action COVID-19 – Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health [March, 31st]

Nobody Left Outside | EU and national government COVID-19 responses must reach everyone – including marginalised people [March, 26th]

UN Human Rights Experts | No Exceptions with COVID-19: Everyone Has the Right to Live-Saving Interventions | [March, 26th]

EATG | EATG statement on the evolving COVID-19 pandemic [March, 25th]

PICUM | The COVID-19 pandemic: We Need Urgent Measures to Protect People and Mend the Cracks in our Health, Social Protection and Migration Systems [March, 25th]

EUPHA | Statement by the EUPHA Migrant and ethnic minority health section on COVID-19 – CALL FOR ACTION [March, 24th]

UNAIDS | Rights in the time of COVID-19. Lessons from HIV for an effective, community-led response | Infographic | [March, 20th]

C-EHRN & EHRA | Harm Reduction Must Go On [March, 19th]

Human Rights Watch | Human Rights Dimensions of COVID-19 Response [March, 19th]

Global Rights / Susanna Ronconni | Prisoners Rights Matter! Statement | Article [March, 19th]

FEANTSA | COVID-19: “Staying Home” Not an Option for People Experiencing Homelessness [March, 18th]

ICRSE | COVID-19: Sex Workers Need Immediate Financial Support and Protection [March, 18th]

Penal Reform International | Coronavirus: Healthcare and Human Rights of People in Prison [March, 16th]

DPNSEE | Public Appeal to Protect Vulnerable Groups from COVID-19 [March, 2nd]

 

GUIDELINES | PROTOCOLS | GOOD PRACTICE

 

DRUG USE

EHRA | Harm reduction service delivery to people who use drugs during a public health emergency: Examples from the COVID-19 pandemic in selected countries [November 2020]

Manitoba Harm Reduction Network | Outreach Guidelines During COVID-19 [Updated, March, 26th]

EuroNPUD & INPUD & Respect Drug Users Rights | COVID-19: Advice for People who Use Drugs [March, 26th]

Forum Substitution Praxis | Newsletters on COVID-19 and Substitution Treatment [GER] [Update Daily]

Drug Reporter | How Harm Reducers Cope with the COVID-19 Pandemic in Europe? [Last update: March, 20th]

MAINline | 8 Corona-Tips voor Mensen die Drugs Gebruiken [NL] [March, 20th]

AFEW International | Mental Health & Psychological Considerations during COVID-19 Outbreak [March, 20th]

Scottish Drug Forum | Guidance on Contingency Planning for People who Use Drugs and COVID-19 (v1.0) [March, 19th]

Echele Cabeza | Consumo de Sustancias Psycoactivas en Cuarentena [SP] [March, 19th]

Zurich Drug Consumption Rooms | COVID-19 Protocols [March, 19th]

Metzineres | COVID-19 Harm Reaction Poster | Flyer (front) | Flyer (back) [March, 19th]

Energy Control | Party & Drugs in the Time of Coronavirus [March, 19th]

YALE | COVID-19 Guidance: Clinicians & Opioid Treatment Programs [March, 18th]

YALE | COVID-19 Guidance: Patients Engaged in Substance Use Treatment [March, 18th]

YALE | Guidance for People Who Use Substances on COVID-19 [March, 18th]

Arild Knutsen | An Open Letter on COVID-19 and PWUD [March, 17th]

DPNSEE | Instructions on Coronavirus for PWUD [Serb] [March, 16th]

Quality Assurance Commission for Substitution Treatment in Germany | Information on Opioid Substitution and COVID-19 – Advice for Physicians [March, 16th]

LANPUD | Drogas y COVID-19 [SP] [March, 14th]

INPUD | Harm Reduction for People Who Use Drugs [March, 13th]

Drug Policy Network SEE | Basic Protective Measures Against the New Coronavirus [March, 11th]

HRC | Safer Drug Use During the COVID-19 Outbreak [March, 11th]

HRC | Syringe Services and Harm Reduction Provider Operations During the COVID-19 Outbreak [March, 11th]

CREW | Coronavirus – General Hygiene Harm Reduction Tips [March, 4th]

 

SEX WORK

ICRSE | Sex Workers Response to COVID-19 in Europe and Central Asia [continuosly updated]
NYC Health | Information on Safer Sex during COVID-19 [March, 21st]
Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network & Maggie’s Toronto Sex Workers Action Project |Sex work COVID-19: Guidelines for Sex Workers, Clients, Third Parties, and Allies [March, 19th]

 

HOMELESSNESS

FEANTSA | Seven Measures Authorities Must Take to Protect Homeless People form COVID [March, 31st]
CDC | Interim Guidance for Responding to COVID-19 among People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness [March, 22nd]
Canadian Drug Policy Coalition | Homeless Shelter Bed Spacing for COVID-19 [March, 19th]
Welsh Government | Guidance for Substance Misuse and Homelessness Services (v1.0) [March, 19th]

 

PRISON

Dignity | Global Guidance & Recommendations on how to Prevent & Manage COVID-19 in Prisons [March, 25th]
WHO | Guidance on Preparedness, Prevention & Control of COVID-19 in Prisons & Places of Detention [March, 15th]

 

GENDER & SEXUAL ORIENTATION

Metzineres | Woman & Gender Non-Conforming People Who Use Drugs Surviving Violence During Quarantine [April, 8th]
NYC Health | Information on Safer Sex during COVID-19 [March, 21st]
GMSH | COVID-19: 2GBTQ MEN [March, 20th]
David Stuart | What does coronavirus (COVID-19) mean in regard to Chemsex? [March, 19th]
Energy Control | Party & Drugs in the Time of Coronavirus [March, 19th]

 

HIV, HCV & TBC

Alliance of Public Health | Practical Recommendations to Reshape a Sustainable Response to HIV/TB/HCV in the EECA Countries with COVID-19 Context [May, 14th]
WHO | Q&A on COVID-19, HIV & Antiretrovirals [March, 24th]
UNAIDS | What People Living with HIV Need to Know about HIV and COVID-19 [March, 19th]

 

MIGRATION

IASC | Interim Guidance on Scaling-up COVID-19 Outbreak in Readiness and Response Operations in Camps and Camp-like Settings [March, 17th]
Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility | Principles of Protection for Migrants, Refugees and Other Displaced Persons [   ]

 

CAPACITY BUILDING

STUDIES | REPORTS | ARTICLES

International Journal of Drug Policy | Chang, J., Agliata, J. & Marinieri, M. | COVID-19 – Enacting a ‘New Normal’ for PWUD [July, 3rd]

London School of Economics & Political Science | Saving Lives in the time of COVID-19. Case Study of Harm Reduction, Homelessness and Drug Use in Dublin, Ireland [July, 1st]

INPUD | Survey Report #1 – Health & Rights of PWUD in a COVID-19 Enviroment [June, 30th]

HRI | COVID-19, Prisons and Drug Policy | Global Scan [Last Update: June, 27th]

ICRSE & SWAN | COVID19 Crisis Impact on Access to Health Services for Sex Workers in Europe and Asia [June, 20th]

Open Society Foundations | 10 Lessons from HIV for the COVID-19 Response [June, 12th]

Global Drug Survey | GDS Global Special Edition on Covid-19 Interim Report [June, 2nd]

EMCDDA | EU Drug Markets Impact of COVID-19 [May, 29th]

EATG | Rapid Assessment #2: COVID-19 Impact on PLHIV and on Communities most affected by HIV [May, 28th]

EHRA | Harm reduction programmes during the COVID-19 crisis in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia [May, 26th]

EMCDDA | Trendspotter Briefing – Impact of COVID-19 on Drugs Services and Help-Seeking in Europe  [May, 12th]

National Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Adiction Czech Republic | Rapid Assessment [April, 6th] | Rapid Assessment [May, 11th]

 

WEBINARS

FEANTSA | COVID19 & Rough Sleepers [June, 10th]

ISAM | 3rd Webinar on COVID19 and Substance Use [May, 7th]

Alliance for Public Health | COVID-19 Lessons: What can make HIV programs in EECA countries more sustainable? [May, 5th]

ISAM | 2nd Webinar on COVID19 and Substance Use [April, 15th]

INPUD, Medicines du Mond, HRI, UNDOC, WHO | COVID-19 Harm Reduction Programme Implementation [April, 6th]

International AIDS Society | COVID-19 & HIV: What you Need to Know [April, 3rd]

EU Health Policy Platform | COVID-19 European Coordinated Response to the Pandemic [April, 3rd]

CATIE |  Coping with COVID-19: Insight from the Front Lines of HIV, Hepatitis C & Harm Reduction [March, 26th]

Institute for Interdisciplinary Innovation in Healthcare | COVID-19: a Systemic Crisis [March, 25th]

ICPA | Response to COVID-19 in Prisons | Slides | [March, 19th]

ISAM | COVID-19 and Substance Dependence [March, 19th]

Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts | Medications for Opioid Use Disorder and the COVID-19 [March, 19th]

HRC | Harm Reduction, COVID-19, and People Who Use Drugs [March, 18th]

 

 

INTERVIEWS & DIALOGUES

Drug Reporter Live Sessions | Stories From the Front Line

Norway | Arild Knutsen & Øystein Bruun Ericson [May, 11th]
The Netherlands | Cedric Charvet & Aukje Polder
Spain | Pedro Quesada & Nuria Calzada
Italy | Susanna Ronconi & Pino di Pino 
Czech Republic | David Pesek, Dominika Jasekova & Pavel Bem

GDS Corona Conversations | Dialogue Series with Various Guests (selection)

Steve Rolles | Transform Drug Policy Foundation [UK]
Niamh Eastwood | Release [UK]
Judy Chang | INPUD [UK]
Mat Southwell | EuroNPUD

 

PODCASTS

Crack Down |Emergency Measures [March, 20th]

Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris |How to Handle Coronavirus Anxiety | Special Edition [March, 14th]

Healing Justice | Coronavirus: Wisdom from a Social Justice Lens [March, 13th]

Leaving nobody outside our healthcare systems—in Europe or elsewhere

On November 25, 2019 the BMJ published the following opinion article encouraging the European Commission to support an EU-level knowledge platform to compile and share research and best practices in healthcare access for marginalised, underserved groups. Also, it calls for a joint action to improve access in these groups; healthcare staff training and capacity building via the European Social Fund+, and research to improve access to cancer screening and care among these groups. Lastly, it recommends that the commission should further prioritise a co-ordinated approach to addressing social determinants of health in all policies.