StreetRx at the 2014 National Harm Reduction Conference

Mike and Nab recently joined a panel at the 2014 Nation Harm Reduction Conference in Baltimore, MD. Mike presented an intro to streetRx, focusing on its value as a ‘magnet content’ tool to share health and wellness information with people who use drugs. 

"People who come to site sit have come not because they were searching for ‘recovery services’, or ‘vein care’, or ‘skin and soft tissue infection prevention information’. They’re coming because they Googled ‘price of Oxycodone'”, said Mike, noting that understanding visitors’ needs is key element in fulfilling the Harm Reduction axiom to ‘meet people where they’re at’. StreetRx embraces this approach to health promotion, and has shown that it provides an promising opportunity to reach people who might not otherwise seek out health and wellness resources.

StreetRx provided 11,000 referals to health and wellness resources in a recent 12-month period. Since October of last year, StreetRx traffic and submissions have more than quadrupled, fueling increased traffic to those health-related external resources. StreetRx has provided a platform that not only gathers valuable information for public health research and serves drug users’ desire to find the current street prices, but also shares information critical for well-being and effective reduction of risk.

The presentation ended with participants from across the US and Canada sharing questions and insights on potential uses for the site. From health promotion to program strategy, the Epidemico team is excited to worth with our colleagues to explore how StreetRx can provide an asset for research and innovation in Harm Reduction approaches to public health.

https://vimeo.com/110793934