1) Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I am a sociologist based in Helsinki where I work for the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. I‘ve specialized in drug policy issues both as a researcher and expert in national and international policy contexts. I’ve been a member of Correlation Network since 2006, and always greatly respected the work you do.

2) What was your main responsibility for the Monitoring Tool for Harm Reduction Services? 

I’m leading the process together with Eberhard Schatz from the Correlation office and the three thematic experts groups that Correlation has recently established. Important support comes also from a fourth group consisting of researchers. The EMCDDA is represented in that group, too. Together with them, we will report the first results from the monitoring in the autumn.

3) Monitoring.. sounds slightly boring. Why do you think that it is important?

I agree it sounds a bit dry. But we’ll do our best to make it interesting if not even exciting… Monitoring is important because we need a reliable and up to date picture of the current reality to be able to advocate harm reduction where it is most needed.

4) Why does the tool specifically focus on monitoring from the viewpoint of Civil Society? Do you expect other outcomes than what official data provides?

Like you say, the idea is to specifically address the civil society organisations who do vital work in the harm reduction field. Even if we already have a rather well working drug monitoring system in Europe, the viewpoint of the harm reduction agencies will add to that and presumably tell a bit different story than the official data. It will provide complementary data, and also alternative data in some cases. This is what makes it exciting.

5) Is the monitoring planned to be repeated? Or is it only for once?

Yes, it will be repeated annually. That’s the very idea of monitoring: we first take a snapshot of the situation and then follow how the picture changes both generally and in details.

6) Harm reduction still is underfunded in many countries, even if there is enough evidence that it works and is cost effective. Why’s that?

You tell me… Because of wrong priorities and tough attitudes towards people who use drugs?

7) Finland has very innovative policies, on many levels. Does that apply for drug policy as well?

We do have some success in our harm reduction policies, but there’s lots to do still. I would say we are rather followers and late comers when it comes to innovative drug policies. But we are not totally hopeless either!

8) What drives you personally to work in the area of harm reduction?

I like the analytical pragmatism and stubborn humanism that are built in the harm reduction school of thought.

9) So finally, please tell us what harm reduction means to you?

To me, harm reduction means innovative ways of supporting people to cope with and save their lives despite drug use.

We organised the first study on the development trends of national action plans, strategies and guidelines on HCV treatment for People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) in Europe.

Between 2013 and 2016, there was a positive trend in recognising PWID as a group of individuals for whom strategic action is needed to increase access to and availability of HCV treatment. In the majority of European countries, DAAs were reported to be available; however, restrictions on their use were reported in almost all of them, of which the most common were fibrosis stage, and current and/or previous injecting drug use.

The study concludes that in order to reduce the HCV-related disease burden among PWID, a radical change in the HCV response is needed in many of the European countries. National strategies, action plans and guidlines that specifically address recommendations for treating PWID with HCV need to be further developed and adopted. Involving all stakeholders, including relevant NGOs, in the monitoring and reporting of national responses would be a significant step forward towards the elimination of HCV as a public health threat, as set out in the WHO Global Health Sector Strategy on Hepatitis, 2016–2021.

Read the study here:  https://rdcu.be/bA4bt

Since the first formal drug consumption room (DCR) had opened its doors on 10 June 1994 in Maastricht, the Netherlands, the number of drug consumption rooms increased, primarily aiming for the reduction of drug-related nuisance in the streets and public spaces.

Changes in the objectives of DCRs were noted over time, as more facilities now have included health promotion for PWUD as a main target. And since the 2010s, addiction care services are shifting their objectives towards recovery, which includes societal, social and personal recovery. 

The Dutch Trimbos Instituut, together with Mainline, de Regenboog Groep and us have worked on a detailed report on the DCRs in the Netherlands. The report aims to give an update of the current number of DCRs in the Netherlands and to provide insight into the DCRs’ main features such as opening hours, objectives and services on offer. 

We hope that this thorough report gives a valuable and complete vision to the involved and responsive experts among us.

You can find the report here.

The Skills Exchange Educators Network, the so-called Seen project, has come to an end. Correlation was involved in this Erasmus+ project, which provided the opportunity for outreach workers and social workers to participate in a month-long internship with a foreign service provider.

Together with the project-coordinator Gruppo Abele (Italy) and project partners Apdes (Portugal) and Villa Mariaini (Italy), we have written a manual for service-providers who wish to organize a similar exchange. In it, you can find a description of the participants’ experiences and the lesson’s learned when it comes to organizing work-exchanges.

You can find the manual here.

360 participants, 120 speakers in 30 parallel and 3 major sessions: accordingly to the feedback of participants the meeting was a great success. Once again many thanks to the supporting organisations and in particular our local hosts Carusel and Aras.

You can find pictures, presentations and the video wrap up of the meeting here:

PICTURES

PRESENTATIONS

VIDEO WRAP UP