#1
#1 out of 1
health22h ago
Helene frayed the safety net for people who use drugs. This community wove it back together.
- Harm reduction groups and health workers rapidly mobilized to deliver naloxone, clean supplies, and medications after Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina.
- Volunteers and clinicians joined responders on the ground, reaching people in need when roads and clinics were disrupted.
- State officials faced red tape that slowed access to sterile water and other essentials for people who use drugs during the disaster.
- Harm reduction groups helped ensure access to medications for opioid use disorder amid disrupted services and insurance problems.
- Disaster response highlighted long-term gaps in planning for people who use drugs and those in recovery.
- Local harm-reduction networks pushed for inclusion in broader disaster preparedness and funding discussions.
- The relief effort showed how community-based care can complement official emergency responses.
- Overdose and withdrawal risks remained high, but some patients fared better due to stable access to resources.
- North Carolina officials and harm-reduction groups collaborated to provide crisis care and crisis counseling in shelters.
- Experts call for emergency reserves of medications and supplies to protect vulnerable communities in future disasters.
Vote 0