European harm reduction services needed to be innovative and adapt very rapidly in response to the fast-changing landscape of the pandemic and its associated national control measures. Preliminary research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on drug services and PWUD has noted decreases in available harm reduction services.
Frontline harm reduction workers play a crucial role in public health response during COVID-19 and are instrumental in implementing these rapid-scale changes required to keep vital services operational.
Their experiences during the pandemic provide critical data to understanding the effect of the pandemic on the vulnerable population of PWUD and the health services they depend on.
This Correlation European Harm Reduction Network (C-EHRN) report on the impact of COVID-19 on vital harm reduction services seeks to bring these voices of front-line workers at drug consumption rooms (DCR’s), harm reduction outreach teams and PWUD themselves to highlight their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report includes sections on:
- General Harm Reduction Response to COVID-19
- Drug Consumption Rooms
- Outreach services
- Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST)
- Government & municipality response
- Drug Supply
- Digital and other Innovations
- User experiences in the streets
- Homelessness
- Social Isolation for PWUD
Our member organisations from Bosnia Herzegovina and Greece contributed to the report with their experience.
The briefing paper is available following this link>>>.