“Saving Lives: The Implementation of Harm Reduction Practices to Combat the Opioid Epidemic Throughout Chicago”

Author: Michaelene Rosales

Department: UIC Institute for Policy & Civic Engagement

Advisor: Dr. Joseph K. Hoereth, IPCE / Karlie Sanchez, Graduate Assistant

Abstract: During the late 20th century, the War on Drugs resulted in the heightened policing and stigma of people who use drugs by both policymakers and society, contributing to years of improper, inadequate, or lack of substance-use treatment and social services. Over 727,000 people in the U.S. from the Black and Brown community died from opioid-related fatalities between 1999 - 2022. The urgency to combat the epidemic and racial disparities amongst overdoses persists today. This literature review embraces a race equity framework, in relation to the implementation of harm reduction practices to alleviate opioid overdose rates in Chicago’s West and South-side neighborhoods. A comprehensive search was conducted for research articles pertaining to opioid overdose, and harm reduction strategies including naloxone distribution, needle exchange programs, fentanyl test-strip distribution, and safer drug-use education between June 1996 - November 2024. Research articles discussing the opioid epidemic as a byproduct of institutionalized racial violence while comparing overdose rates between white and non-white populations were included. The study found that abstinence-only methods of recovery stigmatized individuals using opioids and failed to consider the multifaceted nature of recovery. Harm reduction, however, reframes the opioid epidemic as a public health issue, promoting compassion and support for recovery. Current practices such as mobile outreach brings resources to communities in need. The city shall reserve funding to execute and maintain operations. Cultural assessments should be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs from the perspective of those with lived experiences.

Keywords: Opioid Epidemic, Harm reduction, Race, Equity, Disparity

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