In July of 2021, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed legislation allowing for a two-year harm reduction center pilot program in the state. This means Rhode Island will be among the first in the nation to license and establish harm reduction centers, which are places where people can go to use drugs safely.  

What will a harm reduction center in Rhode Island look like? How effective have harm reduction centers been at preventing overdose deaths in other countries?  

Learn more about Rhode Island’s pilot program from guest experts: Dr. Liz Samuels, an emergency and addiction medicine physician, researcher at the Brown University Department of Emergency Medicine and the School of Epidemiology at the Brown School of Public Health, and the consulting assistant medical director for the Overdose Prevention Program at the Rhode Island Department of Health; Sarah Beister, policy and evaluation lead for RIDOH’s Overdose Prevention Program; and Lauren Conkey, community program lead for RIDOH’s Overdose Prevention Program. 

Download this week’s episode and visit PreventOverdoseRI.org to learn more about harm reduction initiatives in Rhode Island.