Category Archives: Events

Join Us: VOCAL Meeting with OASAS

Posted on by Lisa

On Thursday January 12 at 9am members of VOCAL and other methadone maintenance clients are gathering to meet with OASAS to try and come to an agreement with changes that need to be made at OTP, opiate treatment programs. VOCAL is a wonderful group made up of many people that have either have a history of drug use, are currently still using or know someone that is, or just care about the rights of those who cannot advocate for themselves. OASAS oversees all of the methadone clinics in New York State and are the only ones with the power to make any changes.

 

The two groups have had several meetings with each other about the findings of a survey that VOCAL took at various OTPs throughout the NYS area with 502 clients. This survey asked various questions regarding the care given by their clinic including how respectful they were treated by the staff and what kind of medical treatment was available. On top of the fact that more clinics are needed upstate and in Staten Island, the most important findings were significant problems with hepatitis C (HCV), bupenorphine, overdose prevention and the need for harm reduction and access to clean syringes. 87% of those interviewed said they would like a syringe exchange in their clinic. The most serious of these is the need for HCV testing, treatment and information. Most people are tested initially but are not given their viral load when found positive and they do not know to ask for it. This is very important because you may test positive but have a viral load too low to be detected or your load may be so high that immediate treatment is necessary. HCV is so widespread that approximately 75-90% of people on methadone programs are infected. So naturally the two should go hand in hand.

 

If you are on methadone or are interested, please join us at this meeting:

 
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 9:00am

501 7th Avenue, 8th Floor (between 37th & 38th Street)

 

It starts at 9am and ends around 11:30am. It will include video conferencing from members in Albany that cannot make it to NYC.

 

 

Ukrainian Women struggle with drug use and HIV in “BALKA”

Posted on by admin

I attended a screening of BALKA:Three Stories at the Open Society Institute last week and was surprised to learn how much New York has in common with the former Soviet Republic. When it comes to social stigma and marginalization, the lives profiled in this documentary resemble many of those we encounter in the lower east side every week.

But the film was less about sweeping societal trends and more about the individuals that find themselves infected with HIV after injection drug use. They react to the news in unique ways and the film meets them at different points in their journeys as they take control of their future with the help of limited local services and in the face of conservative male companions and a repressive society.

Follow their facebook page for news and future screenings.

Valentines Day Inebration

Posted on by admin

On Valentines Day I joined Ian on a trip out to Greenpoint to check out a show at the Matchless Bar. The event titled ‘Valentines Day Inebration’ was a nice break from the regular Valentines Day atmosphere. In lieu of my thesis, I’ve been working on making it out to different shows to study our particular demographic and their culture. While a work in progress, the thesis is a holistic study of the transient community, their culture, and their historical presence in NYC. I’m particularly interested in studying the transient community in regard to the music typically associated with their culture.

Yet, with the plethora of sub-genres of punk and metal its hard to pigeon-hole a defining sub-genre as inherently “transient.” As someone pretty naïve to the scene, I had thought of Crust Punk as a cornerstone of the whole Crustie population, and therefore the transient population. The show we attended was pretty metal, and didn’t have much of the political aspects intrinsic to Crust punk. Bands in attendance included The Mortals, an all girls thrash metal band, Florida natives the Fatals, NYC locals Wizandry, and The Trowels from Philly. The bands presented a pretty heavy metal sound in the small show room that was well attended.

It definitely proved to be quite an interesting event. Ian was actually able to get me an interview with a member from the 90’s punk band L.E.S. Stitches that definitely helped provide context to the whole scene. As I continue to work on the thesis I’m sure to give more updates. Check out some of the bands websites below and stay posted!

-Joel

The Trowels
Mortals
Fatal

InSite at the Harm Reduction Coalition

Posted on by admin

Yesterday The Space team was out en force at the Harm Reduction Coalition. HRC hosted guest speaker Dr. Thomas Kerr, who spoke about Vancouver’s work in harm reduction and how the safe injection facility InSite has impacted different facets of the harm reduction community as a whole. It was exciting to see a turn out of almost fifty people in the conference room, mostly comprised of area organizations interested in hearing more about what our neighbors to the north are accomplishing. Our outreach team joined in on the discussion, asking poignant questions about the plausibility of safer injection facilities and what the legal ramifications are. You can watch the talk above.

-Andréa

Bleach Kits at Judson Memorial Church

Posted on by admin

Tonight I had the great pleasure of going to Judson Memorial Church on Thompson Street to make bleach kits for the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center with some parishioners and volunteers. As someone who has actively stepped away from any establishment connected to a religion, I was astonished to watch total strangers sit around a table making bleach kits in the same manner as people who share during a book club. They shared stories of the days before individually packed waters (when they filled mini bottles with tap water), and when they used to use full sized cotton balls instead of the little miniatures we, in the harm reduction community, are so used to. This was simple gesture, and reminded me once again, that it truly takes a village.

“Knowing that harm-reduction programs for intravenous drug users save lives, Judson congregants have for the past twelve years assembled bleach kits that are dispensed by the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center.”
www.judson.org/bleachkits

-Andréa

The Space at the Heroin Stamp Project

Posted on by admin

Last night was the opening of the Heroin Stamp Project. The gallery was full, as was the sidewalk and street outside. It was very interesting to see the eclectic group of people who turned out to see a collection of heroin stamp bags blown up and on display. There were some statistics throughout about Hepatitis C (2 out of every 3 new cases of hepatitis C are a result of injection drug use) and the history of heroin in NYC. All, in all, it was a really clean show that eased a demographic into a NYC reality that they might not usually come into contact with. A portion of the proceeds go to our partner the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center. It’s open until June 29th, so go, check it out and support. 329 Broome St.