Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition Annual Summit

The PPC is proud to co-sponsor this year's Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition annual summit.

The Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition works to provide injectable naloxone free of cost to the public as well as other service organizations.  They have had over 600 reported overdose reversals in the last two years.  The coalition focuses on risk reduction with safe sex, safe injection supplies, and promoting hepatitis C and HIV testing.  They have contributed to a decrease in the hepatitis C transmission rate in Eastern Iowa, and this year have begun a program to link participants with hepatitis C to treatment for the disease.  The group advocates at a legislative level for syringe service programs and expanded access to medication assisted treatment. Themes of this year's event include: 

• A greater focus on expanding access to MAT in the state and engaging people who use opioids in a variety of institutional and community settings in order to prevent overdose. 
• An emphasis on eliminating hepatitis C (Iowa's most common infectious disease killer) and HIV in Iowa, through innovative partnerships between public health and pharmacies, syringe service program legalization, novel community-based patient navigation models, and more. 
• A strategic focus on the expansion of affordable and effective housing models around the state for people experiencing substance use disorders

For more information on individual events and locations, or to register, click here.

Read more about harm reduction strategies in Iowa here, and about the Iowa Opioid epidemic's connection to outbreaks in Hepatitis C and HIV here.