About

Tennessee Harm Reduction (THR) is a community-based organization operating at the intersection of drug-user-centric public health (harm reduction), drug user advocacy, HIV/HCV prevention, and drug policy reform. We’re also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

We run the first and only syringe exchange in West Tennessee outside of Memphis, which was founded in June 2021. We hope to obtain official Syringe Services Program (SSP) status, which is awarded by the Tennessee Department of Health, before Winter 2022.

THR is the only entity in non-Memphis West Tennessee that:

Collects and safely disposes of used syringes from people who use drugs at no cost
Offers no-barrier naloxone distribution, meaning we don’t require participants to attend lengthy, cumbersome trainings — you ask for naloxone, we give it to you
Distributes injectable naloxone kits and/or fentanyl test strips

We’re also engaged in academic research, partnering with Ph.D.-holding academics and Ph.D.s-in-progress to prepare submissions for peer-reviewed journals — work that will contribute to the betterment of drug policy and harm reduction at large.

Our Service Area

Timeline

2017 – Begins giving out harm reduction supplies (e.g., syringes, naloxone, fentanyl test strips) to people who use drugs and their friends, family members in Northwest Tennessee and Jackson.
2019 – Website founded as Northwest Tennessee Harm Reduction (northwesttennesseeharmreduction.home.blog)
2020 – Website’s name changed to Tennessee Harm Reduction (tennesseeharmreduction.com)
June 2021 – Forms rural/non-Memphis West Tennessee’s first and only syringe exchange
June 2021 – Starts recording participant data, including demographics and risk factors
November 2021 – Assembles a board of directors
December 2021 – Incorporates Tennessee Harm Reduction as a nonprofit corporation with the State of Tennessee
June 2022 – Tennessee Harm Reduction becomes a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization