European Harm Reduction Services Adapt and Advance Amid COVID-19 Challenges

A new study published in the journal Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy by Rafaela Rigoni and Tuukka Tammi details the significant transformations in harm reduction services across Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper, titled “Closing doors, opening windows – Adaptations and opportunities for harm reduction services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe“, dives into the adaptive measures and policy advances made in the face of disruptions caused by many restrictions.

The study spans 34 European cities, using a mixed-methods approach that integrates both qualitative and quantitative data, including two surveys conducted in 2020 and 2021, alongside in-depth interviews with local experts from Athens and Dublin.

Despite facing significant operational disruptions, many harm reduction programs managed to scale up and achieve reforms previously met with resistance. Notably, Athens saw the launch of its first housing program for people who use drugs, its first drug consumption room, and the liberalisation of naloxone — an opioid overdose reversal drug. Similarly, Dublin made strides with new housing initiatives, lower thresholds for methadone provision, improved benzodiazepine provision, and enhanced naloxone availability.

These changes illustrate a broader shift as the pandemic provided a unique opportunity for policymakers to advance social equity within drug policy. The findings underscore the resilience of harm reduction services and their crucial role in public health, particularly in times of crisis.

The study concludes with recommendations to further improve social equity for people who use drugs, urging policymakers to seize this unprecedented opportunity to solidify gains made during the pandemic.

Reflecting on Progress: Experts from Athens and Dublin Weigh In

As European cities continue to navigate the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to assess whether the advancements in harm reduction services have endured and how these services have evolved. We reached out to local experts in Athens and Dublin, cities that had made significant strides during the pandemic, to share their insights. Their comments provide a firsthand look at the current landscape of harm reduction, highlighting the sustainability of policy changes, the lasting impact of those adaptations, and further developments in their respective harm reduction scenes since the pandemic’s peak.

”The pandemic, after the initial shock and disruption of frontline services, acted as an accelerator of developments in Athens. First, the opening of the guesthouse for the unhoused people who use drugs and then the operation of the drug consumption room reinforced this progress. Both initiatives had been requested for many years by dedicated harm reductionists and peers, but also by civil society organisations. Nevertheless, much remains to be done to substantially improve the situation on the streets of Athens and reduce the number of avoidable deaths within the drug user community”, concludes Marios Atzemis, the Deputy Chair of Prevention Center Athena Hygeia.

In Dublin, Tony Duffin, the CEO of Ana Liffey Drug Project, has followed closely the pandemic and the period after from the viewpoint of harm reduction services:

“As we saw during COVID-19, Dublin made some great strides in harm reduction, like providing housing and more accessible health services for people who use drugs. Whilst we have maintained many of those gains, with the pandemic behind us the urgency to keep innovating has faded. We’re facing a serious housing crisis and a growing problem with synthetic opioids, yet the quick action we saw during the pandemic just isn’t happening anymore. While a lot of good work is still being done, we need to bring back that ‘can do’ attitude to tackle these challenges head-on.”

Source: Correlation – European Harm Reduction Network (C-EHRN)