Substance Use and Harm Reduction
What is the opioid epidemic?
Watch Vox video “Painkillers Now Kill More Americans than any Illegal Drug” (1) - (4min)
What does it mean to declare substance use a public health emergency?
Listen to The Daily podcast “The Opioid Epidemic” (2) - (25min)
What is the harm reduction approach to substance use?
Watch “Harm Reduction and Abstinence Based Treatment, ‘Bridging the Gap’” (3) - (2min)
How is the response to the opioid epidemic different from the response to the crack epidemic in the 1980s?
Listen to WNYC Here and Now broadcast “Race, Class and the Response to Today’s Heroin Epidemic” (4) - (11min)
How has the War on Drugs contributed to mass incarceration?
Watch Vox video “How Mandatory Minimums Helped Drive Mass Incarceration” (5) - (4min)
Geographies of Interest
Washington Heights and Inwood, NYC
Washington Heights and Inwood have similar rates of alcohol-related hospitalizations compared to Manhattan overall (1055 per 100,000 compared to 1084 per 100,000) (6). The rate of drug-related hospitalizations is lower than the Manhattan rate at 779 per 100,000 adults, compared to 1025 per 100,000 (6). However, drug-related deaths are the 10th leading cause of death in the community, and the incarceration rate for Washington Heights is higher than the citywide rate (6).
Harlem, NYC
Central Harlem has almost double the rate of drug and alcohol-related hospitalizations compared to Manhattan overall (3528 per 100,000 compared to 2109 per 100,000) (6). Further, Central Harlem has 1038 per 100,000 psychiatric hospitalizations compared to 755 per 100,000 for Manhattan overall.6 In a 2013 community focus group conducted at Harlem Hospital, residents cited smoking, alcohol and substance use, and depression/mental health as three out of the top 10 greatest health care needs in their community (7).
If I am interested in this topic, where can I learn more?
Check out Fresh Air podcast “’Unbroken Brain’ Explains Why ‘Tough’ Treatment Doesn’t Help Drug Addicts” (8) - (36min)
This podcast talks with journalist and former drug user Maia Szalavitz about the different approaches to substance use treatment, including harm reduction.
Check out Radiolab podcast “The Fix” (9) - (44min)
This podcast explores the science and psychology behind addiction and substance use.
Check out America Dissected’s “A Tale of Two Crises: Opiates vs. Crack” (10) - (29min)
This podcast explores the different ways that public health policy has approached the crack epidemic in the 1980s compared with today’s opioid epidemic.
Check out Columbia neuroscientist Carl Hart’s TedMed Talk “Let’s quit abusing drug users” (11) - (19min)
Dr. Hart discusses his controversial views on the roles of substance use, crime, and racial injustice.
Sources
1. Lopez, G. (2016, March 09). Painkillers now kill more Americans than any illegal drug. Watch why. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://www.vox.com/2016/3/9/11172926/painkillers-opioids-pharma-marijuana
2. Barbaro, M. (2017, October 27). Listen to ‘The Daily’: The Opioid Epidemic. Retrieved January 10, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/podcasts/the-daily/opioid-crisis-donald-trump.html
3. Asher, V. (2017, August 25). Harm Reduction and Abstinence Based Treatment, 'Bridging the Gap'. Retrieved January 11, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7vptIKGOKo
4. Race, Class And The Response To Today's Heroin Epidemic. Retrieved January 11, 2018, from https://www.wnyc.org/story/race-class-and-the-response-to-todays-heroin-epidemic/
5. Vox. (2015, September 03). How mandatory minimums helped drive mass incarceration. Retrieved January 11, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISFTFoGSRjE
6. New York City Community Health Profiles. Retrieved February 21, 2017, from https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/data/data-publications/profiles.page#mn
7. HARLEM HOSPITAL CENTER - nychealthandhospitals.org. Retrieved February 20, 2017, from http://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/harlem/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2016/08/chna-harlem-2013.pdf
8. 'Unbroken Brain' Explains Why 'Tough' Treatment Doesn't Help Drug Addicts. (2016, July 07). Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/07/07/485087604/unbroken-brain-explains-why-tough-treatment-doesnt-help-drug-addicts
9. The Fix. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://www.radiolab.org/story/addiction/
10. A Tale of Two Crises: Opiates vs. Crack. https://crooked.com/podcast/a-tale-of-two-crises-opiates-vs-crack/
11. Hart, Carl. Let's quit abusing drug users. Retrieved April 10, 2017, from http://www.tedmed.com/talks/show?id=309156