9th - Harm Reduction Coalition

9th
National Harm Reduction Conference
FROM PUBLIC HEALTH TO SOCIAL JUSTICE
is a tireless activist in the national and international movement of people who use drugs and is highly respected among her peers
and other stakeholders. She recently received the International Rolleston Award in recognition for her work in harm reduction.
Elizabeth Saracco has been meeting “traditional” social service providers “where they are at” and bringing a Harm Reduction
approach to services for Sex Workers and Drug Users since 2000. Elizabeth has developed and implemented numerous interventions
including, “Choices” in collaboration with NJ DOH’ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services and “Charm School” for
HIPS, both of which, provide peer support, health education, goal setting and advocacy geared towards women who use drugs and
trade sex. Elizabeth has held various positions at HIPS since 2003, most currently serving as Deputy Director. She has served as
a consultant for NECAPT (Northeast Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies) and has presented various workshops
and trainings on peer based strategies regarding public health and issues around the sex work and drug user communities at national
and international conferences. Elizabeth possesses an AA in Liberal Studies from Harcum College, BA in Interdisciplinary
Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a MS in Clinical Psychology from California Coast University. While not doing
HIPS stuff she likes collecting 80’s punk and metal records, watching Arsenal F.C. matches, drinking whiskey and experimenting
with eye shadow.
Childs, Robert, North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, Durham, NC
robert.bb.childs@gmail.com
Law Enforcement as Harm Reduction Advocates
Injection drug users (IDUs) account for 16% of all new HIV infections and comprise 25% of the 1.1 million adults living with
HIV in the U.S. Particularly hard hit is the South with more people living with HIV and dying of AIDS than in any region in
the country. Similar to national trends, in North Carolina minority communities are disproportionately impacted further
disenfranchised by higher rates of poverty, unemployment, geographic rurality and virtually non-existent state and local
support for harm reduction services. Evidence has shown that syringe exchange programs (SEPs) are an effective public
health prevention strategy that can reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, by keeping communities clean and also by protecting law
enforcement personnel at risk from needle stick injuries on the job. This presentation will highlight pre/post test pilot data
from North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition’s law enforcement trainings across the entire state regarding their attitudes
on injection drug use, syringe decriminalization, and harm reduction. Findings offer practical first steps to further efforts
to incorporate this kind of training to other Southern States, to highlight the benefit of harm reduction advocates and law
enforcement, two unlikely partners, collaborating together in order to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS and syringe related
public health issues within North Carolina. The presenters will also discuss how to incorporate law enforcement into legislative
advocacy and discuss examples of how to do this, using examples from North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition’s law
enforcement syringe decriminalization campaign that uses law enforcement as advocates.
Robert Childs has served as NCHRC’s Executive Director since 2009 and was named one of five people who made a difference
in HIV in the USA in 2011 by thebody.com. In addition to performing executive functions, he is involved in all program activities
including service delivery, program design, innovation and evaluation, resource development and organizing. Prior to joining
NCHRC, Robert served as a Public Health Operations Manager and Program Director at Positive Health Project in New York City,
where he oversaw the syringe exchange, arts programming, law enforcement relations (between drug users, sex workers and
law enforcement), harm reduction programs serving drug users and sex workers and led research on the public health effects
of people injecting in the public domain. Robert has worked in harm reduction for over 10 years and is considered an expert on
syringe access, harm reduction, law enforcement and drug user interactions, sex work and overdose prevention and has spoken
on such at the United Nations, the FDA, New York City Council and the North Carolina, New Hampshire and Oregon Legislatures.
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