It is part of the reality of this work, a part of the lived reality of the practice. At my talk at the conference, many members of the audience took part in a long question and answer ses sion. Pete Morse, a needle exchange and overdose pre vention educator, was particularly engaging. I had known Morse for years, encountering him in community garden, global justice, and harm reduction circles Sorafenib in New York for nearly a decade. Protests or street parties, for a while there, it seemed like he was everywhere Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries in New York. I could recognize his distinct beard from across a room. Yet, I had never known he was also com pleting his graduate degree in history. He had never told me about this part of his life. His questions were right on, leaving me thinking, and wondering and reimagining what I would say the next time I gave that talk.
In 2007, he too died Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries of an overdose. Worker abuse is a huge problem, noted John Zibbell in an article about Morse. The controversial article acknowledged that harm reduction programs produce sig nificant results, reducing overdose and rates of HIV among injection drug users. Yet needle exchange pro grams can exact a toll on those who operate Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries them, it con tinued. The article also highlighted some of the limitations that accompany the often underfunded movement. Staffers typically earn little or no money for working on bleak urban front lines with traumatized users. Many of Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries these workers were clients at some point. Once employed, they bring their life experience to peer education in the agencies they once attended.
Many are run on a shoe string budget, with little room for training or support. In addition, hose dealing with other factors depression, history of drug use or personal stresses may find it par Inhibitors,Modulators,Libraries ticularly hard to cope. Drug abuse is an occupational haz ard, says Alex Kral, a San Francisco epidemiologist. The emotional strains of work with AIDS, harm reduc tion, and health care are well documented. Yet approaches to handling the ongoing stressors are less forthcoming, so people embrace the stiff upper lip ap proach and try to push forward. Harm Reduction has al ways been hard, but it is also life affirming. Many of us find our own forms of guerilla theology, as well as a sense of camaraderie with those on the front lines.
After Cardens death, Daniel Raymond, the policy director for Harm Reduction Coalition, said this At its heart, the harm reduction movement is a close knit family of dreamers, radicals, and outsiders, tempering anger with hope, fighting stigma and marginalization with love. Yet, there are limitations to this social solidarity. Many feel, isolated, and unsupported in this work. table 1 Some days workers feel a great sense of comfort from the support they receive from each other. other workers feel marginal ized, ostracized, or alone.