Schedule

    Thursday, September 24, 2020
     
     
12:00 - 12:15 PM CT
1:00 - 1:15 PM ET
 

Welcome and Institute Overview

   
     
12:15 - 1:30 PM CT
1:15 - 2:30 PM ET
 

Strengthening health Infrastructure In the MIdwest through harm reduction

   
   

This opening panel will examine the unique social and political environment of the Midwest through a conversation with local providers, advocates, and leaders. Each speaker will offer valuable perspectives on the history, current landscape, and future of harm reduction in the region. This session will address the relationship between health departments and community-based organizations, consider meaningful involvement of people who use drugs, and discuss the realities of operating within an unpredictable and ever-changing social environment and public health landscape.

     
1:30 - 1:45 PM CT
2:30 - 2:45 PM ET
 

Break

   
     
1:45 - 3:00 PM CT
2:45 - 4:00 PM ET
 

COVID-19 Response and Syringe Services Programs in the Midwest

   
   

Service delivery and health infrastructures have transformed in the age of COVID-19. Providers, advocates, and clients have rapidly adjusted to new barriers in the process of implementing syringe services programs across the Midwest region. This session will review the impact of COVID-19 in the Midwest and examine challenges, strategies to overcome these barriers, and success stories from health departments and community-based organizations.

     
3:00 - 4:00 PM CT
4:00 - 5:00 PM ET
 

Networking and Virtual Social Hour

   
   

This social hour will allow attendees to connect with one another through a game of trivia, a deep dive with panelists from sessions throughout the day, or a virtual lounge. All attendees are invited to choose the space that best meets their needs and interests to reflect and mingle as a close out for the first day of the institute.

     
     
    Friday, September 25, 2020
     
     
10:00 - 10:15 AM CT
11:00 - 11:15 AM ET
 

Welcome, Overview and Recap

   
     
10:15 - 11:30 AM CT
11:15 AM - 12:30 PM ET
 

Cultural Humility: Concepts and Principles

   
   

As stakeholders build into syringe services programs in the Midwest, it is vital that these programs meet evolving community needs. Centered in racial equity, this collective session will provide an overview of the core principles of cultural humility. Participants will build their individual and organizational capacities to engage in this work with respect, strength, and humility.

     
11:30 - 11:45 AM CT
12:30 - 12:45 PM ET
 

Break

   
     
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM CT
12:45 - 2:00 PM ET
 

Breakout Sessions: 1

   
   
A

SSP Funding, Sustainability, and Legitimacy: Navigating Barriers to Maintaining SSPs in the Midwest

 
 

This session will address the barriers to maintaining syringe services programs in the Midwest and means to navigate these challenges in order to sustain this unique healthcare system. Participants will reflect on the role that health departments play in providing legitimacy to syringe service programs; learn about structures and strategies for coordinating services; and determine potential funding streams and partnerships for providing comprehensive care.

 
     
   
B

Bridging the Gap: Expanding the Role of Non- Traditional Community Partnerships

 
 

This session will discuss building into and leveraging partnerships between health departments, non-traditional partners, and new voices as a means of meaningful engagement. Attendees will examine current partnerships in the field, what connections are missing, and best practices in engaging new organizations, companies, and communities.

     
   
C

Rooted in Harm Reduction: Aligning Health Department Syringe Services Programs with Community Needs

 
 

This session will examine guidance from NASTAD and the CDC on best practices for the provision of syringe services programs. Participants will explore tools and methods for implementing this guidance in alignment with community needs and Harm Reduction philosophy.

     
   
D

SSPs as Essential Health Programs: Responding to the Expanding Needs of Community

 
 

While linking community to essential services, syringe services programs are evolving to serve as entry points to care for participants. Reflecting on this context, this session will address the ways in which syringe services programs are transforming into their own healthcare systems. This session will examine the expanding needs of community – including mental and behavioral health, testing and treatment, linkage to PrEP for PWUD, and beyond – and best practices for integrating these components into a program.

     
     
1:15 - 2:30 PM CT
2:15 - 3:30 PM ET
 

Breakout Sessions: 2

   
   
A

Trauma - Informed Management and Care for Staff: Strategies and Best Practices for Addressing Stacked Trauma

 
 

Syringe services programs are seeing a high rate of staff turnover. With limited funding and the realities of facing the epidemic within vulnerable communities each day, overburdened staff experience burnout that creates barriers to program implementation. This session will focus on trauma-informed management and how to address internal barriers such as compassion fatigue, stacked trauma, second wave trauma, and self-care within your organization.

     
   
B

Collaboration in Action: Building Effective and Mutually Beneficial Community Partnerships

 
 

This session aims to engage community-based organizations with community partners. This intentional mobilization strategy, intended to center the voices and experiences of those most impacted, will examine engagement strategies and how building community partnerships can strengthen programs and service delivery. Participants will examine potential partnerships through a lens of equity and meaningful involvement to ensure that these relationships are mutually beneficial.

     
   
C

Cultural Humility at Work: Effective Engagement of Clients within Urban and Rural Communities

 
 

Cultural humility as a framework provides a basis for how community organizations and health departments can look to engage in syringe services work while considering the evolving needs of community. This session will dive deeper into cultural humility, providing a closer look at how to operationalize this lens in program design and implementation. This workshop will examine strategies for effective, genuine, and meaningful involvement of participants in harm reduction work.

     
   
D

New and Emerging Needs: An Overview of SSP Funding and Sustainability within the COVID-19 Pandemic

 
 

COVID-19 has shifted the landscape of philanthropic and federal support, as well as the primary needs of clients. As priorities shift to address this global need, syringe services programs must similarly adjust. This session will look at the ways in which these programs can integrate and utilize changes related to COVID-19 – from removing barriers to telehealth to expanding digital outreach – to advance the overall provision of care and sustain the work.

     
2:30 - 2:45 PM CT
3:30 - 3:45 PM ET
 

Break

   
2:45 - 4:00 PM CT
3:45 - 5:00 PM ET
 

Breakout Sessions: Group Work And Networking

   
   

Attendees will have the opportunity to collectively delve into reoccurring challenges that have emerged throughout previous institute sessions. Using a world café model, each group will engage in multiple dialogues rooted in the four institute tracks to address obstacles, share stories, and reflect on best practices.

   
A

Strengthening Health & Organizational Infrastructure

B

Community Partnerships & Meaningful Engagement

C

Program Design & Implementation

D

Evolving Roles of Syringe Services Programs

     
4:00 - 4:30 PM CT
5:00 - 5:30 PM ET
 

Institute closing and reflections