Without Love, There Is No Harm Reduction
“At OnPoint NYC (NYHRE+WHCP), people are received with love,” said Juan Cortez, our Holistic Health Services Manager. “Without love, there is no harm reduction. If you’re not seeing someone as a full human being, you’re not practicing harm reduction,” he said.
Isabella*, a participant engaged in OnPoint NYC’s holistic health services, experienced this philosophy first-hand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Isabella needed love. She struggled with isolation and anxiety. She also survived three back-to-back overdoses within two months. Through one of our street-based syringe exchange sites, Juan and Isabella met.
At these sites, we provide life-saving harm reduction supplies to people who need them. At our locations in upper Manhattan, we also engage participants in holistic health services like acupuncture, reiki, meditation, qi gong, and breathing exercises to help them manage chronic pain, reduce anxiety and stress, and remain connected to other health care services.
Thanks to individuals like you, OnPoint NYC connected Isabella to health and harm reduction services that changed her life. Each year, individuals like you help us improve the health, safety, and well-being of nearly 9,400 people who use drugs and people who engage in sex work. Your support will help others like Isabella stay safe and healthy.
Since being embraced with love at OnPoint NYC, Isabella has thrived. She began treatment and found a new calling: holistic health. Juan is now mentoring Isabella in providing holistic services. She helps with outreach, connecting others in need to the same services that made a huge impact in her life. “If I hadn’t been connected to OnPoint NYC, I wouldn’t be alive today,” she recalled.