As part of a periodic series on overdose and the pandemic, guest host Susan Sherman speaks with Monique Tula, executive director of the National Harm Reduction Coalition, and Louise Vincent, executive director of the North Carolina Survivor's Union about the role of harm reduction in both the COVID and overdose crises. In an extended conversation, Tula and Vincent talk about harm reduction as a strategy for reducing suffering among people who use drugs, centering health and dignity in services, and how the "syndemic" of drug use, COVID-19, and racism are converging in a moment that requires a fundamental restructuring of services related to substance use in the US.
KEYWORDS: substance use; policy; racial disparity
Public Health On Call