Integrated and Person-Centered Care Models – New Publications

Two new publications on Integrated and Person-Centered Care Models are now available: ‘From “Patients” to “Co-Creators” of Interventions’ and the accompanying Policy Recommendations.

Integrated and person centred-care means putting people and communities, not diseases, at the centre of health systems and empowering people to take charge of their own health, rather than being passive recipients of services. Person-centered frameworks acknowledge the diversity of PWUD and provide a wide range of support services, addressing the negative impact of stigma and discrimination on access to health and social care, the dignity of PWUD and their right to participate in society fully.

A number of critical factors (ideological, political, structural, organizational and individual challenges) continue to hinder implementation of these models. The two publications investigate these challenges and provide policy and practice recommendations for person-centered models.

 

      Read the full publication here

       Read the policy recommendations here

National Harm Reduction Networks – New Publications

We are excited to share two publications on National Harm Reduction Networks in Europe; Building Solidarity & Mutual Support and the accompanying Policy Recommendations.

 

National harm reduction networks are represented in 17 countries – with structures such as mission statements, steering committees, registered members and annual work plans. Roughly two-thirds of the existing networks receive funding for their operation, mostly from national or local authorities. The main activities of these networks are capacity building, advocacy, and networking. They also contribute to strengthening the organisation’s commitment to enhancing the linkage between European and national-level drug policies.

 

Many civil society organizations, such as various service providers and groups of people who use drugs, seek to shape the development of drug policy at both the national and international levels. The existence of networks brings numerous benefits and added value to the harm reduction field. Networks are best positioned to transmit to governments and decision-makers information on work carried out by organisations, including the needs and challenges faced by people who use drugs.

 

Read the full publication here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read the Policy Recommendations here.

Ukraine Snapshots Volume 2

The second volume of our Ukraine Snapshots publications, ‘Services for Ukrainian Refugees in De Regenboog Groep’, is now available.

 

Almost one year ago, we became witnesses of yet another war, this time within the European territory. The Dutch state and the municipality of Amsterdam, including De Regenboeg Groep, took immediate measures to provide safe spaces for the refugees fleeing Ukraine. As part of the ‘Ukraine Snapshots’ series of the Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network, this article aims to provide an overall picture of the services organised and offered by De Regenboog Groep to the Ukrainian refugees.

 

To get an insight into the situation on the front line, we interviewed the general coordinator of the shelters,Aukje Polder, Drop-In and Shelter Programme Coordinator at De Regenboog Groep and the on-site manager of the Botel shelter, Jarmo Berkhout; Daphne van Zetten , Aujke’s substitute, revised and updated the information close to the publication date. They shared valuable information and discussed their experience regarding how the system works and how the situation has unfolded so far.

 

Read the full publication here.

 

 

Monitoring Executive Summaries 2022

Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network, together with its Focal Points, presents the Executive Summary of its Data Report 2022 in ten languages to support increasing the impact and reach of our work on the local and national levels. The executive summaries are available in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, German, Italian, Polish, Czech and Greek. Download the executive summaries below.

Monitoring Data Report 2022

2022 was one of the most consequential in recent European history, witness to a series of overlapping crises: the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, fast-growing population displacements, the MPOX outbreak, shrinking civil society spaces and the deepening of socioeconomic inequalities, among others.

Within this context, C-EHRN’s monitoring activities have been embedded with increased urgency. Whilst the effects of these developments have been felt in nearly everyone’s life, people who use drugs, as well as other marginalised and underserved communities, have particularly and disproportionately experienced its negative consequences. Equally, harm reduction organizations in Europe have been put to the test.

In combination with advocacy, the application of civil society-led monitoring tools is crucial to hold governments accountable and to improve the care and support that people who use drugs receive and their environments.

Together with more than one hundred organizations and individuals from thirty-four European countries, C-EHRN set up for itself the task to provide an in-depth look at Harm Reduction in Europe. To this end, the annual 2022 Data Report focused on three main themes: harm reduction essential services, Hepatitis C, and new drug trends. In addition to the data collected, this year C-EHRN conducted in-depth interviews with all its Focal Points, allowing for a richer picture of the developments from last year.

Read the Data Report 2022

The Lighthouse Concept

This new publication discusses the need for scaling-up harm reduction services, and more information on our new BOOST project.

In 2023, C-EHRN will start to implement the European Union (EU) co-financed BOOST project, aiming to strengthen and support community-based and community-led harm organisations in providing high-quality communicable disease services to people who use drugs. These include the scaling-up of good practices in communicable disease awareness, prevention, screening/testing and linkage to care, delivered as an integrated part of people-centred harm reduction interventions. The project consortium includes, among others, the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) and the European Network of People Who Use Drugs (EuroNPUD).

The publication also contains information from the presentation by Roberto Perez Gayo (C-EHRN Policy Officer) on the BOOST project at INHSU 2022.

As well as this, Free Clinic in Belgium, Podane ruce in Czechia, Villa Maraini in Italy, and the A-Clinic Foundation in Finland are discussed as examples in harm reduction for an integrated HIV/HCV approach.

Monitoring Data Report 2021

 

The main aim and purpose of C-EHRN monitoring activities is to improve knowledge and information and complement existing data and monitoring efforts in Europe in specific areas of harm reduction based on the perspective of civil society organisations (CSOs). The data collected helps us to assess the implementation of certain drug and health policies at the national and local levels and supports our advocacy efforts at the European and EU Member State levels.

The adapted 2021 civil society monitoring incorporated the experiences from the past years. During evaluation meetings with our expert groups, it was decided to keep most of the questionnaires in 2020 intact for 2021. That was done both because the questionnaire of 2020 has worked reasonably well and also to allow for comparisons between 2021 and the previous year.

We kept our focus on the situation at the city level which allowed for more accurate and precise information. Consequently, the information provided in this report sometimes represents the situation in a particular city or region. Although this information is not representative of a country, it reflects the fact that the situation in a country is diverse and most often dependent upon the approach at the city level. Small modifications were made for clarity in the sections on essential harm reduction services, overdose prevention, Hepatitis C, civil society involvement and new drug trends. More modifications were made in the COVID-19 section to cover a new phase of the pandemic.

In addition to the survey, and on an experimental basis, the expert groups decided to try new forms of data collection. In 2 countries – Finland and the UK – online Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) will be performed to gather data on new drug trends. That was decided due to the low response rate in the online survey and also due to feedback from our Focal Points that this remains the most difficult section of the survey to complete.

More than one hundred organisations and individuals from 34 European countries have contributed to this Monitoring Report. Thanks go to our Focal Points and associated experts at the national and local levels who have filled in the online questionnaire and provided all information and data on time. Without their dedication and commitment, we would not have been able to produce this report.

LAUNCHED TODAY! Harm Reduction Key Principles in Homeless Services

 

We are delightfully exhilarated to present you with this exciting must-read publication, Harm Reduction Key Principles in Homeless Services. Special thanks to all our partners, FEANTSA, De Regenboog Groep, Simon Community, Rights Reporter Foundation, Sundheds Team and Norte Vida.

The Key Principles
The Key Principles of Harm Reduction are an innovative set of tools developed through the HR4Homelessness Project. The innovation lies in their capacity to translate existing experiences and knowledge on Harm Reduction into actionable guidance through an open, iterative and evolving framework. 

The Key Principles aim to contribute to improving and transforming the services that shape access to and the quality of care that people experiencing homelessness who use drugs or alcohol receive. Further, they aim to support these services to respond to conditions that negatively influence marginalised and underserved communities’ social and health outcomes.

 

Why Harm Reduction? Why now?
Currently, a substantial number of programmes that support people experiencing homelessness in Europe require ongoing abstinence in order to receive or to access support services, including permanent housing. At the same time, a significant number of services currently articulate other conditions that, in combination with an abstinence requirement, result in high-threshold access to care and support and difficulties in generating engagement with people who use drugs or alcohol. 

High-threshold models come with the risk of implementing a “one size fits all” model that does not respond to the complex realities and diverse experiences of people experiencing homelessness who use drugs or alcohol. Instead, high-threshold services articulate structures wherein those most in need of help are least able to access it and where services end up supporting individuals who can demonstrate the capacity for change prior to the conditions and support required to achieve such change. Such an approach is often experienced as shaming or stigmatising and acts as a barrier to building trust between individuals and services. 

While evidence for the effectiveness of Harm Reduction exists, and a growing number of services in Europe, including homeless services, have started implementing Harm Reduction approaches as a guiding model in recent years, a substantial number of homeless services in Europe still lack the capacity to implement such strategies effectively. Next to this, mainstream Harm Reduction services that can implement Harm Reduction strategies and approaches generally focus too narrowly on technological or behavioural interventions centring upon personal change and not on systemic change. 

In response, the Key Principles of Harm Reduction in Homeless Services aims to support service providers to implement activities that respect the rights of people experiencing homelessness who use drugs or alcohol, which are informed by evidence. It also intends to advance social justice transformations, respect service user decisions and priorities, and contribute to eliminating stigma and discrimination of the communities they work for and with.

For more information about this resource or the HR4Homeless Project, please contact rpgayo@correlation-net.org