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Hacks for Overdose, Overamp, & Medical Emergencies

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In addition to the necessity for policies for service and supply management, community agreements, grievance, and misconduct processes, another essential set of policies harm reduction leaders consistently recommended were protocols for dealing with potential overdose, overamp, and medical emergencies such as heart attack or stroke.

These are rare events, but as community health workers, many harm reduction leaders feel it’s necessary for harm reduction workers to be ready to respond to these kinds of emergencies.

For further guidance on OD and medical emergency protocols please see the section on De-Escalation In the Moment.

Featured Hacks

These featured hacks highlight creative, practical solutions from harm reduction leaders on the ground. From DIY tools to clever workarounds, each one reflects the ingenuity, care, and real-world experience that keeps this movement alive. 

Hacks for Service and Supply Management

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Many of the harm reduction leaders that were interviewed for Space Hacks talked about how critical it is to effectively manage services, supplies, and inventory in order to maintain community tranquility. It may not feel intuitive, but OGs report that ineffective management of supplies is the number one potential flashpoint for escalated situations during harm reduction services.
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Resilience Building

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Because so many of us are so similar to the folks we serve, including the trauma we carry with us, and because it is now recognized that extreme stress impacts people who care for people experiencing that trauma nearly as much as the people directly impacted by that trauma, it is essential that people in […]
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