We're creating a CE training: What questions RE harm reduction, safer drug use, naloxone, etc do Div 50 members have for the Director of the People's Harm Reduction Alliance

Hi all,

For the APA virtual conference this year, we are going to try to turn as many skill-building and symposia into home study CE trainings as presenters are interested in making.

One of these skill-building sessions is with Shilo Jama, who is the Director of the People’s Harm Reduction Alliance, “a drug user empowerment organization that promotes the philosophy of harm reduction and safer drug use. Active users at all levels of PHRA facilitate the need-based needle distribution program, serving the Cascadia region since 2007.”

Here’s his training abstract:

“The key to helping people stay meaningfully connected to their communities, decrease substance-related harm and improve people's quality of life is to treat them with compassion, dignity and respect. That's the driving philosophy at the People's Harm Reduction Alliance (PHRA), which presenter, Shilo Jama, cofounded in 2007 and where he currently serves as executive director. Located in the Pacific Northwest, PHRA is a peer-run organization that promotes the philosophy of harm reduction and safer drug use. Active drug users work at all levels of PHRA, facilitating the need-based syringe program, which distributed 8.5 million syringes in 2018, and developing ground-breaking safer smoking and heroin use strategies as a means of reducing people's injection drug use and bloodborne illness transmission. This hands-on skill-building session will entail a brief introduction to the grass-roots history of harm reduction, explanation of compassionate, user-driven advocacy, demonstration of safer-use tools and strategies, including training in how to administer naloxone.”

Shilo will speak from lived experience of injection drug use and longtime grassroots activism serving his community. He is one of the best harm reductionists I know.

We will record a Q&A session with any questions Division 50 members might have for Shilo to answer :-) What questions do you have about harm reduction, injection drug use, safer drug use, naloxone, suboxone, or anything else to help you better serve people who use substances? Think clinical pearls Division 50 members could benefit from…

Thanks SO much in advance for considering and contributing your questions!

Susan Collins

APA Division 50 Program Chair