Writing for the Drug Policy Alliance’s blog in 2016, policy associate Kristen May writes on the legacy of Black-latino Harm Reduction and HIV support trailblazer Paula Santiago.
In 1987, Paula formed New York City’s first HIV-positive support group for homeless youth as an organizer with Streetworks, a drop-in center for homeless youth on the Lower Eastside. In partnership with Edith Springer—widely regarded as “the mother of harm reduction” who published the first clinical article on harm reduction in the United States, Paula built upon her work with young people and co-founded the New York Peer AIDS Education Coalition. This organization engaged in harm reduction outreach and provided HIV prevention education to New York’s young people. Paula has shared her model of support spaces for people with HIV in her native, Puerto Rico as well as Germany and Brazil.
Read the full article here: https://drugpolicy.org/blog/paula-santiago-harm-reduction-trailblazer