Remote harm reduction services are key solutions to reduce the impact of COVID-19-like crises on people who use drugs: evidence from two independent structures in France and in the USA

Original research
par
Torres-Leguizamon, Magally et al

Date de publication

2023

Géographie

International

Langue de la ressource

English

Texte disponible en version intégrale

Oui

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

Oui

Évalué par des pairs

Yes

L’objectif

The COVID-19 pandemic reduced access to harm reduction (HR) structures in locations undergoing lockdown. The aim of the study is to test if and possibly how COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdowns have impacted the HR services in both countries.

Constatations/points à retenir

With the ability to reach PWUD remotely, HaRePo and NEXT Distro were particularly effective at maintaining service continuity and scaling up services to meet the needs of PWUD during the COVID-19 pandemic. By studying two independent structures in France and in the USA sharing similar objectives (remote HR), we showed that this approach can be a key solution to crises that impact classical HR structures despite various differences in operating procedures between countries.

La conception ou méthodologie de recherche

Comparison of 2019 with 2020

Mots clés

Digital health
Harm reduction