Harm Reduction

Harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use. The goal is to mitigate the risks of an action or process to allow for a pragmatic solution to a problem. Harm Reduction is also a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs.

Using this strategy of pragmatism, Pacific Pride Foundation incorporates harm reduction through our educational trainings and services. Discussing various methods of safer sex through strategies such as partner communication, contraceptives, and testing. Harm reduction has been a goal of Pacific Pride Foundation for decades and continues to serve as our model for curbing epidemics such as sexually transmitted infections (STI).

For our opioid response services, Harm reduction incorporates a wide variety of strategies that include: safer use, managed use, abstinence, meeting people who use drugs “where they’re at,” and addressing conditions of use along with the use itself.
Harm reduction demands that interventions and policies are designed to serve people who use drugs and reflect specific individual/community needs. There is no universal definition of or formula for implementing harm reduction, however there are many solutions waiting to be found as we explore strategies of harm reduction.

For more information about Narcan or Naloxone distribution, visit this page.

Syringe Services Program (SSP)

One proven method to prevent the spread of HIV & Hep C is to offer people experiencing drug dependence and anyone using syringes for medical care Harm Reduction Education and Syringe Services – as exposure to both HIV and Hep C can occur from sharing unsterilized needles. Pacific Pride Foundation offers Harm Reduction Education, exchanges new syringes for used ones, and provides materials to help reduce the spread of blood-borne pathogens and to keep people experiencing drug dependence safe.
Through a partnership with the Department of Behavioral Wellness we provide Overdose Prevention Education and distribute Naloxone, a medication designed to rapidly reverse, what are often otherwise fatal, opioid overdoses.

SCHEDULE

Santa Maria:

105 N. Lincoln Street | Every 2nd and 4th Thursday, 1:30PM to 3:00PM or while supplies last*

Note: Please do not use the main door, use the side door as indicated by signage.

Santa Barbara:

Faro Center, 621 Chapala St. | Every Thursday, 1:00PM-3:00PM or while supplies last*

Isla Vista:

Services temporarily on pause.

Lompoc:

Recycling Center on H and North Street. | Every 1st and 3rd Monday, 1:00PM to 3:00PM or while supplies last*

Note about Holidays: If a service date lands on the same day as a major holiday, services will be canceled.

*Please note: Syringe Services end when we have distributed all the syringes we have. Since these syringes are currently in high demand, we often run out before exchange is scheduled to end. We strongly recommend that participants arrive as close to the start time as possible.

SYRINGE EXCHANGE Contact

From time to time, weather conditions may make it necessary to cancel in-the-field SSP services. In those instances, the following procedures will be followed:

Weather should be monitored on an ongoing basis. If a weather event is expected, SSP staff should notify management. The manager of the SSP will decide whether to engage the SSP Weather Protocol.
The SSP Manager will consult three different weather outlets to see if heavy rain or a high chance of rain is in the forecast the day before an SSP event, and make the final decision the day of the SSP event.

If the SSP event is canceled due to weather:

Announcement of cancellation will take place on social media.
SSP staff will contact volunteers directly to notify of cancellation as far in advance as possible.

At all times, the following will occur:

The PPF website will state on the SSP schedule page that weather may impact our syringe exchange schedule and clients should check social media for updates.
All reasonable efforts will be made to provide in-person SSP services. Safety to clients, staff, volunteers, and equipment will be prioritized.

In 2014-15, Pacific Pride Foundation:

Collected 68,976 contaminated syringes
Supported 394 unique clients via 1,286 discrete exchanges
Distributed 54,654 sterile syringes

Our Syringe Exchange staff offer each exchange client harm reduction counseling, refer interested clients to substance abuse treatment programs and to other resources—including the many LGBTQ+ friendly Anonymous sobriety groups that meet weekly in PPF’s offices.