Harm Reduction Action Center

“Yeah, this place is open, no matter what. Rain or Shine. On Christmas day. Knowing that you can come in, check your shame at the door, and ask and hopefully receive exactly what you needed that day. Then the continuity of coming in, and having one point person for something, And another for another. And, of course, the staff is very well versed. They smile and know my name. That is huge.” – Ben, age 37

The Harm Reduction Action Center (HRAC) serves a population that has long been stigmatized, marginalized, and under resourced. Nobody in this state loves people who use drugs (PWUD) more than the HRAC. 

Since 2002, the HRAC has been the primary provider of people who inject/smoke drugs centered education and services in Colorado. The mission of the HRAC is to educate, empower, and advocate for PWUD in Colorado, in accordance with harm reduction principles. The aim of the HRAC is to prevent overdose deaths, re-engage PWUD into community involvement, and protect against the transmission of HIV and hepatitis C. The HRAC prioritizes access to appropriate healthcare information to prevent skin and soft tissue and other bacterial infections that are both painful to the individual and costly to the city’s healthcare system.   Public health and medical experts agree that syringe/pipe access programs are the gold-standard of care to reach PWUD with resources, education, and are cost-effective, while focusing on the whole-person approach.

Direct service - first and foremost. Over 17,000 participants have signed up with us over the past 13 years and around 150 people are currently accessing us per morning being pro-active about their health. They have the opportunity to dispose properly of used syringes, access sterile syringes, pipes, and are offered referrals/resources. There is access to Naloxone, vein care, their mail, phone to call service providers/family/court/etc, HIV/HCV/STI testing, fentanyl testing strips, supportive service providers, hygiene products, and community.

In addition, we provide a robust mobile syringe access program in high drug traffic areas 2 afternoons per week serving hard to reach folks with services and resources.  Also, in a partnership with 911, we provide on-demand syringe cleanup efforts all over the City.

Then, community engagement. We have an active PWUD advisory committee as all rules/programming/advocacy efforts is determined by participants. HRAC staff, participants, and volunteers provide regular and consistent neighborhood clean ups. These clean-ups target the five-block radius of the HRAC location for litter removal and allow our staff and volunteers to become more familiar with the neighborhood and its residents.

We're famous for it.

Health education and leadership cultivation opportunities.
We offer 2 health education classes and leadership cultivation acvities every week.  When factual health information is not available to PWUD, bacterial infections, overdoses, and the acquisition of viral hepatitis (HCV) and HIV infections all increase significantly as noted in our class pre and post-tests surveying knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs; all of which are preventable in the injecting community.  Health education classes are a gateway to healthier injecting practices to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV/HCV; they curtail inaccurate information dissemination and increase the knowledge of at-risk participants to effectively protect the individual/other.  

Advocacy/Policy. We believe the streets should influence the policies at the State Capitol and Denver City Council. We have passed 7 pieces of statewide legislation in the past 10 years (4 to reduce the harms associated with overdose and 3 for syringe decriminalization) and led 4 Denver City policy changes.  We continue to push forward with advocacy/policy implementation efforts (via zoom, conversations, email, surveys, nagging, etc).  

And finally, technical assistance for providers working within bureaucratic institutions that our participants intersect with daily. These institutions include, but are not limited to; law enforcement, criminal justice, healthcare providers, neighborhood associations, and nursing/medical/pharmacy students tour to see what we are (and aren't), learn more about our programming/services, and the ability to ask questions. In addition, we provide presentations to these bureaucratic institutions and the larger community to chat about harm reduction and working with PWUD for a healthier and safer today.

“This is one of the best locations. I personally believe that it's an absolute must need for this society and community harm reduction should be more regularly accessible all over the country. The staff is incredibly great, they are some of the most kind-hearted, loving, non-judgmental, and reliable staff you could ask for. Hands down, 10 out of 10.”