Supporting Harm Reduction Programs (SHaRP)
Welcome to the Supporting Harm Reduction Program (SHaRP) at the University of Washington. Learn more about our work here.
Announcements:
Funded Training Opportunities with NACCHO-February, 2024
The University of Washington’s Supporting Harm Reduction Program (SHaRP) team in collaboration with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) are holding funded training opportunities for staff or volunteers at harm reduction programs. We welcome you to apply to multiple trainings, due to the limited spots available individuals, if selected, will only be invited to one training. Multiple staff from within the same organization can apply, but each staff member will need to complete an application themselves. This is not associated with the National Harm Reduction Technical Assistance Center (NHRTAC).
Informal Qualitative Methods at Harm Reduction Programs
This 1.5 day workshop will focus on qualitative data collection, analysis, and dissemination at harm reduction organizations. This training will mostly focus on informal and low-barrier approaches to qualitative methods, though formal methods such as in-depth interviews and focus-group discussions will be briefly introduced. We will work with participants to identify ways they are already collecting qualitative data, help define a data collection objective, practice analyzing mock qualitative data, and explore different approaches to disseminate findings. This training will be held once.
Monitoring and Evaluation at Harm Reduction Programs: Foundations and Methods
This 1.5 day workshop will focus on the foundations and methods of monitoring and evaluation, with the goal of helping programs that are developing or reconfiguring internal data collection systems. The training will mostly focus on a common question the SHaRP Team receives from harm reduction programs across the country: “What data should my program collect?” We’ll work with participants to organize reporting requirements, learn methods and develop internal evaluation goals, and brainstorm plans for data collection frequency and methods. These sessions will emphasize minimalist, ethical data collection practices and we will workshop data collection methods that prioritize participant confidentiality and autonomy. This training will be held twice.
The online application can be found here. Applications are due by February 23rd, 2024 at 7 pm EST.
SHaRP Salons: Community Conversations on Harm Reduction Data-February, 2024
The University of Washington Supporting Harm Reduction Programs (SHaRP) Team, in partnership with The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), is thrilled to announce a three-part online discussion series, SHaRP Salons: Community Conversations on Harm Reduction Data.
Each hourlong meeting will focus on data-related challenges common to harm reduction programs in the US and will consist of short introductory presentations followed by facilitated discussions among participants. While all are welcome to attend, these discussions will be oriented toward harm reduction program staff and people who use drugs. Meetings will not be recorded, and a summary of main points will be posted online and distributed to attendees.
Session Schedule:
Thursday, February 29: How can we improve our data quality?
The SHaRP Team will briefly outline recommendations and good practices for high-quality, low-barrier data collection and facilitate conversation among Salon participants to share lessons learned and on-the-ground expertise. The conversation may include discussion on minimizing data to maximize quality, privacy considerations, staff training, and negotiating reporting requirements with funders.
Thursday, March 14: Sharing data with community and participants
The SHaRP Team will introduce considerations and recommendations for data dissemination and foster discussion among Salon participants about common challenges and methods of sharing program data publicly. This session may cover deciding what data to share, framing data for participants and other community members, and dissemination methods.
Thursday, March 28: Asking sensitive questions
The SHaRP Team will facilitate discussion on some of the most sensitive data points common to harm reduction programs. Harm reduction program participants often find themselves at the nexus of multiple criminalized identities, and programs are often tasked with using data to advocate for social change while respecting participant dignity, autonomy, and privacy. Focusing on recommended indicators from their community-informed SSP Indicators project, the SHaRP team will solicit recommendations and challenges associated with data points on structural violence and overdose.
The UW SHaRP team is no longer funded by the National Harm Reduction Technical Assistance Center (NHRTAC) and this project is not associated with NHRTAC.
Register for the series: https://washington.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAtdOyrrzwvE9dYPRy-QxlVc2R69GEloMQQ
Changes to Technical Assistance Program – December, 2023
As of December 1st, 2023, we are no longer affiliated with the National Harm Reduction Technical Assistance Center (NHRTAC), funded by the CDC and SAMHSA. We are grateful for the work we’ve done with our former TA center partners: NASTAD, National Harm Reduction Coalition, and National Association of County and City Health Officials.
We are proud of the support we’ve provided since 2020 to syringe services programs and harm reduction organizations, local and state health departments, and federal agencies. Over the past three years, we’ve responded to over 170 requests for technical assistance, developed numerous guidance materials and resources, facilitated a learning collaborative, and led more than a dozen trainings and webinars to promote good practices and ethical data collection in the harm reduction community.
While we are no longer part of NHRTAC, the University of Washington SHaRP team remains committed to providing monitoring and evaluation technical assistance to SSPs/community-based harm reduction programs, people who use drugs, and health departments across the country. However, our capacity has been reduced, so we may not be able to accommodate all requests and may take longer than usual to respond to requests.
If you need support or have questions about harm reduction monitoring and evaluation or data, please reach out to us anytime at sharpta@uw.edu. If we’ve worked with you in the past, please contact us if you have any questions about privacy or data security, or any other topic.
Webinar: Toolkit Launch: Point-in-Time Surveys for Harm Reduction Programs – August 17, 2023
On August 1st, the University of Washington Supporting Harm Reductions Programs team will launch a toolkit for syringe services programs (SSPs) interested in implementing a point-in-time survey. Point-in-time surveys can be a valuable way for SSPs to learn about their community, reduce routine data collection, and improve programs. Materials have been adapted for public use after being developed and tested during a Learning Collaborative with 7 SSPs supported by NACCHO. During the 1-hour webinar, we will introduce the website components, including tools and tutorials and North Carolina Survivors Union will share their experience implementing a point-in-time survey during the Learning Collaborative. The webinar recording can be found here.
In-person Training: Qualitative Data Collection – August 17th and 18th, 2023
We are holding a 1.5 day training on qualitative data collection, analysis, and dissemination at syringe services programs (SSPs) for those providing direct services at SSPs in partnership with NACCHO. The applied training, to be held August 17th and 18th, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky, will focus on informal and low-barrier approaches to qualitative methods. Formal qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews and focus groups will be introduced. There will be hands-on time to work on developing qualitative data collection plans and data collection forms as well as to practice gathering qualitative data. Applications are currently closed for this training, but we plan on offering virtual SSP qualitative data trainings in Fall 2023. We also intend to record a webinar. Training schedules and recordings will be made available on this website and will be promoted on the @uw_sharp Instagram. We currently have written guidance on Leveraging Informal Qualitative Data Collection and Use at SSPs.
Webinar: Measuring Syringe Coverage at SSPs – July 20th, 2023
On July 20th at 10 PT / 1 ET, we will be holding a webinar, Measuring Syringe Coverage at SSPs: An Indicator for Equity and Needs-Based Distribution. During this webinar, UW SHaRP will share tools and tips for syringe services programs interested in measuring syringe coverage among their program participants. Syringe coverage is an indicator that can help SSPs estimate if their participants have enough syringes to use a new syringe for each injection. While distribution of different types of supplies is important for SSPs (including smoking and snorting supplies), syringe coverage is one measure that may help programs examine if they are distributing supplies equitably among all populations. We will introduce the best practice of needs-based syringe distribution and discuss barriers to a needs-based policy. We will discuss the potential to use data, including syringe coverage, to make internal changes that reflect these recommendations. This webinar is targeted toward SSPs and administrators who work with SSPs who are interested in syringe coverage, syringe distribution models, and equity in syringe distribution. The webinar recording can be found here.
Workgroup Meeting: SSP Indicators – June 6th and 7th 2023
We are excited to be hosting a two-day community meeting June 6th and 7th in Chicago to discuss, propose, and approve data indicators that can be ethically and reliably collected at syringe services programs (SSPs). Our aim is to advocate for good data collection practices that help make programs better, instead of being a burden to SSP staff or participants. Learn more here.