By — Nicole Ellis Nicole Ellis By — Casey Kuhn Casey Kuhn By — Rachel Liesendahl Rachel Liesendahl Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/how-harm-reduction-advocates-are-working-to-prevent-fentanyl-overdose-deaths Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter How harm reduction advocates are working to prevent fentanyl overdose deaths Nation Feb 17, 2023 1:13 PM EST It’s been eight years since Doug Griffin lost his 20-year-old daughter Courtney to a fentanyl overdose. Her story, and Griffin’s loss, were featured during President Joe Biden’s Feb. 7 State of the Union address as he spoke about the toll of the opioid crisis in the United States. Griffin, the president said, is not alone in this grief — more than 100,000 Americans died of a drug overdose in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fentanyl, the potent synthetic opioid, has quickly become the leading cause. In his address, Biden called for “strong penalties to crack down on fentanyl trafficking” — a line that garnered bipartisan applause during his State of the Union address. But the call drew criticism from harm reduction advocates who say a more punitive approach could hurt their efforts. Josh Swatek, head of the New Mexico Health Department Harm Reduction Program, spoke to the PBS NewsHour’s Nicole Ellis about how his organization is using harm reduction strategies to tackle the crisis. Watch the conversation in the player above. Harm reduction “means meeting people where they’re at” with regard to substance use, Swatek said. In many cases, that entails providing resources and support based on the individual’s needs. According to CDC data from 2020, New Mexico ranks 11th in the nation for drug overdose deaths. Amid the growing crisis, in Feb. 2022, the state signed into law a harm reduction bill that significantly expanded the health department’s ability to address the opioid crisis and potential overdoses. READ MORE: Senate hearing on fentanyl outlines international supply chain that brings drug to U.S. For New Mexico, a key part of the harm reduction approach is distributing fentanyl test strips and the overdose reversal drug naloxone. Fentanyl is potent and can result in accidental overdoses. “If people use fentanyl test strips, then they’re aware that fentanyl might be in their substances, so they can change their behavior, they can use less. They might not use that batch at all,” Swatek said. In the last year, Swatek said, over 3,400 overdose reversals were reported to the harm reduction program in New Mexico. “We know just from that data, which we believe is an undercount, that this is an effective program,” he said, touting his program’s 58 sites and mobile facilities. He says the goal of harm reduction is to “make sure that folks have as low barriers as possible to access lifesaving naloxone and other harm reduction services that our program offers.” Swatek’s perspective echoes a national push to make these opioid overdose antidotes more accessible. READ MORE: Schools stockpile medication to combat rise in fentanyl overdoses Presidential administrations have long supported wider naloxone distribution. Last year, the Biden administration allocated nearly $1.5 billion to states and territories to help address the opioid crisis, including via harm reduction measures. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Nicole Ellis Nicole Ellis Nicole Ellis is PBS NewsHour's digital anchor where she hosts pre- and post-shows and breaking news live streams on digital platforms and serves as a correspondent for the nightly broadcast. Ellis joined the NewsHour from The Washington Post, where she was an Emmy nominated on-air reporter and anchor covering social issues and breaking news. In this role, she hosted, produced, and directed original documentaries and breaking news videos for The Post’s website, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Facebook and Twitch, earning a National Outstanding Breaking News Emmy Nomination for her coverage of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Ellis created and hosted The Post’s first original documentary series, “Should I freeze my eggs?,” in which she explores her own fertility and received the 2019 Digiday Publishers Award. She also created and hosted the Webby Award-winning news literacy series “The New Normal,” the most viewed video series in the history of The Washington Post’s women’s vertical, The Lily. She is the author of “We Go High,” a non-fiction self-help-by-proxy book on overcoming adversity publishing in 2022, and host of Critical Conversations on BookClub, an author-led book club platform. Prior to that, Ellis was a part of the production team for the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning series, CNN Heroes. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Human Rights from Columbia University, as well as a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia Journalism School. By — Casey Kuhn Casey Kuhn Casey is a producer for NewsHour's digital video team. She has won several awards for her work in broadcast journalism, including a national Edward R. Murrow award. @caseyatthedesk By — Rachel Liesendahl Rachel Liesendahl Rachel Liesendahl is an online production assistant at the PBS NewsHour.
It’s been eight years since Doug Griffin lost his 20-year-old daughter Courtney to a fentanyl overdose. Her story, and Griffin’s loss, were featured during President Joe Biden’s Feb. 7 State of the Union address as he spoke about the toll of the opioid crisis in the United States. Griffin, the president said, is not alone in this grief — more than 100,000 Americans died of a drug overdose in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fentanyl, the potent synthetic opioid, has quickly become the leading cause. In his address, Biden called for “strong penalties to crack down on fentanyl trafficking” — a line that garnered bipartisan applause during his State of the Union address. But the call drew criticism from harm reduction advocates who say a more punitive approach could hurt their efforts. Josh Swatek, head of the New Mexico Health Department Harm Reduction Program, spoke to the PBS NewsHour’s Nicole Ellis about how his organization is using harm reduction strategies to tackle the crisis. Watch the conversation in the player above. Harm reduction “means meeting people where they’re at” with regard to substance use, Swatek said. In many cases, that entails providing resources and support based on the individual’s needs. According to CDC data from 2020, New Mexico ranks 11th in the nation for drug overdose deaths. Amid the growing crisis, in Feb. 2022, the state signed into law a harm reduction bill that significantly expanded the health department’s ability to address the opioid crisis and potential overdoses. READ MORE: Senate hearing on fentanyl outlines international supply chain that brings drug to U.S. For New Mexico, a key part of the harm reduction approach is distributing fentanyl test strips and the overdose reversal drug naloxone. Fentanyl is potent and can result in accidental overdoses. “If people use fentanyl test strips, then they’re aware that fentanyl might be in their substances, so they can change their behavior, they can use less. They might not use that batch at all,” Swatek said. In the last year, Swatek said, over 3,400 overdose reversals were reported to the harm reduction program in New Mexico. “We know just from that data, which we believe is an undercount, that this is an effective program,” he said, touting his program’s 58 sites and mobile facilities. He says the goal of harm reduction is to “make sure that folks have as low barriers as possible to access lifesaving naloxone and other harm reduction services that our program offers.” Swatek’s perspective echoes a national push to make these opioid overdose antidotes more accessible. READ MORE: Schools stockpile medication to combat rise in fentanyl overdoses Presidential administrations have long supported wider naloxone distribution. Last year, the Biden administration allocated nearly $1.5 billion to states and territories to help address the opioid crisis, including via harm reduction measures. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now