Cook County recorded the deadliest year for opioid overdoses in 2022, according to the medical examiner’s office, a record that’s unsurprising to advocates and public health officials who said this signals a need for more harm reduction strategies.
Karen Bigg, a harm reductionist for the Chicago Recovery Alliance, grabs items for drug use to give to a man living in a homeless encampment in Humboldt Park on July 25, 2023, in Chicago. Bigg said she parks a mobile outreach van at the corner of North California and West North avenues on Tuesdays from about 5-7 p.m. and usually sees between five and 15 people requesting drug use-related items.
He said it’s a systemic problem in Chicago that continues to harm families, especially in marginalized communities where there’s a history of segregated resources. There’s also underlying issues such as lack of housing or stigma around drug use that affects whether people get help.The Chicago Recovery Alliance wants to increase the use of harm reduction strategies, public health practices that aim to reduce certain health and safety issues associated with drug use.
It’s not just about promoting treatment but also about giving people agency and autonomy, Werning said. One of their goals is to establish overdose prevention sites, where people can take pre-obtained drugs under the supervision of professionals or access resources, including treatment programs or social services.
A box of Narcan nasal spray atop a cabinet as Karen Bigg, a harm reductionist for the Chicago Recovery Alliance, gathers items for drug users at Humboldt Park on July 25, 2023, in Chicago.
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