Buncombe County HHS reports doubling of harm reduction program visits, expands outreach and peer case management

Mitch Albers, an HHS staff member, updated the Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services Board on the county’s harm reduction program during the board’s presentations and updates.

Albers said the program is formally rebranding from a syringe service program (SSP) to a “harm reduction program” to reduce stigma and to encompass expanded services. He reported two multiyear contracts supported by a grant from Dogwood Health Trust: one funds a dedicated peer support case manager (provided through Sunrise Community) who had taken about 61 cases since starting in February, and the other supports outreach and education targeted to Hispanic community partners in collaboration with UNITE. Albers said the UNITE partnership has reached about 215 adults with training, including Narcan (naloxone) training in Spanish.

Albers provided program statistics for the past year: more than 12,900 participant visits, more than 2,700 unique participants, about 1,300 new participants, and 474…