Substance use and overdoses are an epidemic in this country, and Rhode Island is not immune. But efforts to combat substance use are often highly misunderstood. This week’s episode sheds light on some of those efforts, commonly referred to as harm reduction and overdose prevention strategies.  

Our guest expert is Dr. Brandon Marshall, a professor of epidemiology from Brown University’s School of Public Health who’s research covers substance use, infectious diseases, and the social determinants of health of urban populations.  Dr. Marshall leads the development team at the Brown University School of Public Health for Prevent Overdose RI, the statewide overdose data dashboard.

With our co-hosts Dr. Jim McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan, Dr. Marshall  directly addresses some of the common misconceptions that people have about prevention efforts like safe injection sites, needle exchange programs, and the availability of naloxone, which is a medication that can reverse the effects of a drug overdose. 

Listen to this week’s episode to learn what Rhode Island is doing to address substance use, and find out how local efforts compare to what’s going on around the globe.