National Harm Reduction Technical Assistance Center

Prevention Institute joined with the National Harm Reduction Technical Assistance Center (NHRTAC) to offer free support to anyone in the country who provides or plans to provide substance misuse harm reduction services to their communities. NHRTAC aims to improve the capacity and performance of harm reduction programs throughout the United States by providing access to high-quality, comprehensive technical assistance. CDC established and expanded the NHRTAC in collaboration with SAMHSA to ensure comprehensive support of the integration of harm reduction strategies and principles across diverse community settings and within a treatment framework.

This technical assistance (TA) center connects harm reduction programs to resources and experts that can help programs better serve their communities. Offering harm reduction services is an effective approach for preventing overdose, the spread of infectious disease, and other harms resulting from drug use. Recipients of TA may include syringe services programs, health departments, programs providing treatment for substance use disorder, and prevention and recovery programs.

Prevention Institute is lending our expertise in community-driven approaches to strengthen community assets and resources that prevent substance misuse and support long-term recovery. Our efforts include sharing resources on addressing community trauma and building resilience, incorporating racial justice and health equity-focused approaches, fostering meaningful and impactful collaboration, and going upstream to improve community determinants of wellbeing such as economic conditions, social connection, and parks and open space. The following presentations are examples of what Prevention Institute has offered through the TA center. 

Please visit the NHRTAC page for resources other TA providers have shared as part of their ongoing TA efforts.