A marathon special meeting of the Eureka City Council, stretching from 7 until 11:30 p.m., resulted in the council voting 3 to 2 in favor of a resolution temporarily prohibiting all syringe exchange services within city limits, with councilmembers Natalie Arroyo and Leslie Castellano dissenting. The wording of the resolution is tangled, stating that the […]
harm reduction
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State Re-certifies Needle Exchange Program, with Limitations
The Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction has been recertified by the state of California to provide needle exchange services in all of Humboldt County, with the excepting of the city of Eureka, where the nonprofit is based. The state’s decision to recertify the controversial program comes after the Eureka City Council sent a letter […]
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HACHR: City’s Claims Being Taken Seriously
The Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction says the organization is taking seriously allegations levied by Eureka officials in a memorandum to the state outlining “ongoing concerns” about its operations as the center’s syringe exchange program undergoes a reauthorization process. The California Department of Public Health authorized HACHR to run the harm reduction program for […]
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Eureka Weighs the Future of its Nonprofit Needle Exchange Program
It was the most pointed question in a meeting full of them. Eureka City Councilmember Kim Bergel looked at Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction Programs Coordinator Jessica Smith and board treasurer Rachel Waldman, leaned into the microphone and gave voice to a rumor — an allegation hurled on a social media platform without a […]
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Eureka Man Calls for Volunteer Action on Loose Needle Problem
“Stop thanking me,” says Brandon Krigbaum. The tall, bearded former wildland firefighter has been picking up and discarding loose needles in Eureka for a month and a half, and has gotten used to congratulatory messages on social media and his voicemail. At the Oct. 17 Eureka City Council meeting, Councilmember Kim Bergel lauded his volunteerism. […]
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Mayor Jager Joins Pro-Camp Camp
On the evening of Tuesday, Mar. 1, the Eureka City Council unanimously approved a resolution to support the Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction’s needle supply program, opted to send the Eureka Police Department’s little-used mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle back to the federal government and, after a smatter of discussion and dissent, approve changes to […]
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City of Eureka Poised to Embrace Needle Exchange, Oust Panhandlers
Brandie Wilson, founder of Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction (HACHR), says her organization has saved at least a dozen lives in 2016, thanks to its distribution of Naloxone, an opiate overdose reversal drug. HACHR has been able to give Naloxone to drug users within Humboldt County, along with 2,000 clean needles. Now the Eureka […]
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Local Harm Reduction Team Becomes Authorized Naloxone Distributor
The Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction (HACHR) took a step toward helping reduce local overdose and infection rates yesterday, as a physician has agreed to carry a prescription for Naloxone and bulk syringes. HACHR would not disclose the name of the physician, but spokesperson Michelle Ellis said they were lucky to find someone who […]