Permission to live: Amid surge in fatal drug overdoses, strategies focus on keeping users alive long enough to seek treatment

SRHN and one of our Naloxone Access Points (NAPs), Recovering Hope Treatment Center, was featured in an article released by Kanabec County Times on July 6th. As a NAP, Recovering Hope, is a publicly accessible pick-up site for intramuscular (IM) naloxone and fentanyl test strip (FTS) kits, provided free of charge by SRHN. Recovering Hope distributes approximately 25 naloxone kits every month. 

The article, written by Kristen Faurie, quotes Recovering Hope President Sadie Broekemeier, who states: “it’s a common misconception that providing clean needles, test strips and naloxone encourage drug use. It’s our philosophy to meet people where they’re at — not just in the moment they’re ready for recovery.”

The article also highlights a person in recovery and peer support specialist, Becy. “Becy said that when she first started her recovery journey, she was against harm reduction strategies, saying they felt like permission to keep using. She soon came to realize harm reduction is permission to keep living.”

SRHN Executive Director, Alicia House, says that “Recovering Hope is a natural community partner for two reasons. First, they work with women and women with children who don’t have many safe options to find support in active addiction. Second, access to recovery services tends to be more difficult in rural communities. The more NAP sites we can create in towns like Mora, the healthier our communities will be.”

To read the full article, click here.