Medical Students for Harm Reduction

Mission: Among Americans aged 18-45, fentanyl overdose is the leading cause of death. Unsafe use of drugs carries many other risks of which the most serious may be blood borne diseases transmitted through dirty needle sharing. Medical providers need to not only be aware of these risks, but also be comfortable and confident in discussing them with persons who inject or use drugs. Medical Students For Harm Reduction (MSFHR) seeks to address a lack of student organizations on campus focused specifically on harm reduction, the practice of making the use of drugs less dangerous as a step in their recovery.

Our group will seek to promote harm reduction goals like access to naloxone, use of syringe exchange sites, reduced stigma, and overall safer drug use with the goal of referral to support programs and health and social services including treatment and recovery support services.