Harm Reduction Program
Eastern Oklahoma VA Healthcare system is committed to your health and safety. We focus on harm reduction to meet this commitment. The Harm Reduction Program connects Veterans with supplies they need to stay safe. VA provides sterile syringes to decrease harm during high-risk activities. This protects you from HIV, Hepatitis C, and other viruses.
Our Harm Reduction Program includes:
- Respectful, Non-judgmental, non-condemning, non-confrontational care that emphasizes personal responsibility and harm reduction
- Harm Reduction kit that contain materials such as:
- Sterile syringes
- Alcohol pads
- Cotton balls
- Condoms
- Sharps container
- Fentanyl test strips
- HIV, Hepatitis, STD and other infection testing
- Education:
- Details on how reusing or sharing needles or equipment can lead to infection
- Clean injection technique
- Safe Infection Practices Brochure
- Vaccinations to prevent infection
- Naloxone (Narcan) prescription to prevent overdose
- Link Veterans to other services that might be indicated.
- Medication access:
- Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection
- Medication for opioid use disorder:
- Buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone®)
- Naltrexone (Vivitrol®)
- Naloxone (Narcan®) for Opioid Overdose
Who can participate?
Veterans eligible for healthcare. A prescription for the kit is required, additionally items may also be prescribed individually by a VA provider. Ask at Ernest Childers or Jack C Montgomery pharmacy to contact a prescriber for you. Kits may be pick-up or mailed.
Our hope is that we will reduce the likelihood of overdose, prevent HIV and hepatitis and ultimately engage patient to treatment of substance use disorder