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9th - Harm Reduction Coalition

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<strong>9th</strong><br />

National <strong>Harm</strong> <strong>Reduction</strong> Conference<br />

FROM PUBLIC HEALTH TO SOCIAL JUSTICE<br />

Keith Brown, Associate Executive Director of Catholic Charities AIDS Services in Albany, NY has been working in HIV/AIDS and<br />

<strong>Harm</strong> <strong>Reduction</strong> for over twelve years. Keith spearheaded the establishment of the first Syringe Access, Syringe Exchange, and<br />

Overdose Prevention program in the Capital Region of New York State. The program, Project Safe Point is the only one of its kind<br />

in this part of NY, covering a large 14 county geographic region.<br />

Brown, Angel, HIPS, Washington, D.C.<br />

angel@hips.org<br />

Maintenance<br />

Their usage cannot do so by abstaining. At HIPS, we offer a daily “maintenance group” where our participants can receive<br />

goal setting skills, education and support centered around their particular drug of choice while at the same time, also meeting<br />

their needs whether it’s to eventually abstain from using or finding a way to “manage” their drug use rather than have<br />

their drug use “manage” them. We would like to propose running an hour long 1-2x daily mixed gender Maintenance Group<br />

alongside the traditional NA/AA groups offered at the conference this year.<br />

Stages of Change<br />

A short workshop on how to apply the stages of change to manage your drug use.<br />

Angel Brown came to HIPS as a full time volunteer in 2009, giving as many as thirty-five (35) hours each week of her time. She<br />

was invited to join the Peer Education Program and has grown through that program to her current position. Angel provides oneon-one<br />

counseling, HIV testing and linkage, assistance with referrals and works with HIPS Diversion Program.<br />

Cardoso, Antonio, St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA<br />

theantibully@comcast.net<br />

Decriminalization of Substance and the Family<br />

One of the most serious issues confronting family stability and cohesiveness is substance use/abuse. This paper is focused<br />

on the decriminalization of substance use. The use of substances attacks the core of the family creating dysfunction. This is<br />

compounded if the family member is charged criminally or incarcerated and given a record. Stigma becomes an inevitable<br />

challenge both parties have to address. Stigmatization begins with labeling a person a criminal and leads to alienation from<br />

friends and family. The user who is criminally charged has a good chance of never being able to recover socially or financially<br />

no matter how much education or skills they learn. They are felons. The criminal record leads to children being taken away<br />

from parents, denied a stabile family unit and becoming unwanted in society. Family Therapist may want to begin a discussion<br />

of decriminalization as a mechanism for bolstering the family unit and creating a healthier family atmosphere in the<br />

United States. In over thirty years Dr. Cardoso have developed experience in health policy, research, education, health promotion,<br />

and public health; as well as an understanding of service programs and programs that increase access to services.<br />

Dr. Cardoso has had the opportunity to provide technical support on the design and execution of demographic, social and<br />

health systems research tools and procedures for state, federal and private research agencies. He has leadership for the<br />

design of studies on the quality and accessibility of primary health care services and participated in collaborative research,<br />

capacity building activities, program development in the United States through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), The<br />

National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD), the Office of National Drug Control; Policy (ONDCP), the National<br />

Institute on Drug Addiction (NIDA), the Research triangle Institute (RTI), Maternal and Child Health and the Center<br />

for Substance abuse Treatment (CSAT). The research and programs in which Dr. Cardoso was involved consisted of medical,<br />

social and behavioral health determinants. All of these research projects were longitudinal in nature.<br />

In over thirty years Dr. Cardoso have developed experience in health policy, research, education, health promotion, and public<br />

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