The AIDS Action Committee is happy to announce some changes to our Needle Exchange and Overdose Prevention Program that will help us better serve our community members. First, we are changing our name to Access: Drug User Health Program. This new name reflects the incredible amount of growth our program has seen and the wide range of services we are now able to provide.
While the needle exchange remains an important part of our work, Access offers our community many services beyond that. We provide low-threshold, harm reduction programming that treats the whole person, rather than simply providing interventions for risky injection practices. Access services include HIV/HCV/STI testing, health education and navigation, risk-reduction counseling, overdose education, Narcan distribution, street and community outreach, behavioral health services, support groups, drop-in services, safer sex and drug use supplies, and even nursing. Please stop by our office to learn more about any of these great services!
We will soon be adjusting our Access drop-in hours in order to provide more comprehensive and personalized interventions to our members and to expand our impact in the community. The Access drop-in center at Green Street will now be open from 9 AM-2 PM on a daily basis while needle exchange and overdose prevention services will be available from 9 AM-4 PM Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and from 9 AM-2 PM on Thursdays
Once drop-in hours end at 2 PM, members will be able to have individual meetings with health educators, get tested, attend a support group, participate in the Community Advisory Board, access nursing services, pick up syringes or Narcan, or have staff accompany them to detox, or medical appointments. This adjustment in our hours will also allow our outreach staff to spend at least two days a week offsite to focus on recruitment efforts, overdose prevention trainings, and syringe exchange in the community. Hours of operation at our Amory Street location remain unchanged. Please note that all Access services in Cambridge and in Boston will remain closed after 2pm on Thursdays
We are very excited to announce that a new staff member, Jennifer Delmonte, is joining us to provide nursing services four days a week. She will be able to perform HIV/HCV/STI testing, wound care, and other basic health services for our members who incur barriers accessing health services elsewhere.
Our services are always anonymous and confidential. Anyone who has used illicit opioids, misused prescription opioids, and/or injected any non-prescription substance within the past 12 months is eligible for Access membership. Outside of these parameters, membership is considered on a case-by-case basis.
Becoming an Access member is easy. Simply walk in and complete a risk reduction assessment with one of our health educators. We highly encourage members to get tested with one of our staff and undergo overdose prevention training at the time of enrollment. We are also able to enroll new members offsite. Please refer anyone who you think could benefit from our services, and stay tuned for an announcement about an open house we will be holding this spring. We look forward to serving you!
Have questions or want to learn more? Give us a call at 617.599.0246 or email Meghan at [email protected].
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