Better Vein Care/Safer Injection Guide. These 23 images on the poster and postcards represent opportunities for initiating and developing discussions on various aspects related to taking better care of one’s veins and reducing the likelihood of disease transmission through the process of injection.
The guidelines and operating procedures that the Chicago Recovery Alliance works to, these guidelines cover: Philosophy, Activities and Goals, Site, Staffing and Operation, Operational Guidelines.
This protocol is informed by the practice of Harm Reduction Outreach, as operated by the Chicago Recovery Alliance since January 1992. The refinement of this protocol will facilitate any person interested in practicing Harm Reduction in applying it their population in a manner most consistent with the principles of Harm Reduction. As with all Harm Reduction efforts, this Manual is a work in progress, always looking to make additional positive changes.
This manuscript is intended to be a primer on the care and treatment of skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) among injection drug users. It is intended for primary care providers, nurses and lay practitioners who care for people who inject drugs in community settings. While incision and drainage is a simple procedure, we recommend that all SSTI be treated by a licensed provider in a controlled environment. However, if a licensed provider is not available, we hope that this manuscript will assist all people working with drug users to treat people living with SSTI in a manner that reduces suffering to the greatest extent possible.
CRA’s Treatment and Other Referral Expediting Service (TORES) which assist people access the risk reduction service of their choosing. CRA recognizes that risk reduction is a process that involves many different areas and an effective referral system is crucial for any one component in order to be an effective service provider.
Abstract: Disease (particularly HIV) has increased our motivation to reconsider how the current help system deals with drug-related problems. A more concrete focus on disease prevention as an additional goal has, for many, lead to a reevaluation of the goals of drug help work. Such a critical examination shows how much there is to improve within the system even in the absence of blood borne disease. Integrating the heart of harm reduction–respecting work on any positive change as a person defines it for his/herself–into treatment fashions a health sensitive alternative to the predominant practice of abstinence-only assistance for the relief of drug problems.
