Harm Reduction ECHO
Program Description
Harm reduction is defined by the National Harm Reduction Coalition as, “a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use.” The Harm Reduction ECHO program will provide an orientation to harm reduction strategies and approaches to prevent substance use-related overdoses, deaths, or other harmful health or mental health impacts. Learners will be exposed to evidence-based, and emerging and novel, harm reduction practices. The program will include a heavy emphasis on reducing misinformation about harm reduction practices and combatting stigma towards people who use drugs.
Who is this ECHO for?
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- Substance use disorder treatment providers
- Healthcare providers (physicians, advanced practice providers, etc.)
- Behavioral health providers (social workers, counselors, etc.)
- First responders (law enforcement, EMS, etc.)
- Harm reduction specialists
Learning Objectives
- Define harm reduction and its basic principles.
- Explain the benefits of harm reduction practices.
- Describe the evidence-base for harm reduction approaches.
- Compare and contrast different harm reduction strategies and their capacity to prevent overdose deaths and other substance-related harms.
- Implement harm reduction approaches into daily clinical practice.
The UT Health San Antonio Science Center is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The UT Health Science Center San Antonio designates this live activity with AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM.
Watch our most recent session:


Harm Reduction ECHO
This Harm Reduction ECHO meets every first Thursday of the month.
Hub Team

Aaron Ferguson, BSW, LCDC
Urban Survivors Union, Leadership Team Member
Community Medical Services, Regional Outreach Manager
Subject Matter Expertise: Opioid Agonist Therapy, Patient Advocacy, Drug User Organizing

Claire Zagorski, MSc, LP
Pharmacy Addictions Research & Medicine Program (PhARM), UT Austin, Program Coordinator
Subject Matter Expertise: Emergency Medicine, Public Health, Overdose Prevention

Glyceria “Ria” Tsinas
Academy of Perinatal Harm Reduction, Co-founder & Director of Development
Subject Matter Expertise: Perinatal harm reduction

Snehal Patel, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Population Health, Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin
Subject Matter Expertise:
Acute Care of Hospitalized Patients, Harm Reduction, Public Health, Community Health, Social Medicine, Organizing for Social Justice

In memory of our founding hub member
“What I’ve always wanted to do was make sure that impacted people have a voice and are treated with respect and dignity. At the end of the day it’s about creating moments where people can experience connection. Non-judgmental connection.”
~ Christopher Abert, Mentor & Advocate