The Needle and the Narrative

On this episode, we highight Challenges Inc SC staff Lysandra Ryan. Lysandra has a wealth of lived experince and Harm Reduction work. We sit down to learn more about her as a person and what keeps her showing up every day. To learn more about harm reduction work in South Carolina visit www.challengesinc.org 
To learn more about the MAP program for safer smoking supplies visit www.smokeworks.org

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This is a segment from an old converstation with local clinic physician Dr. Quang Pham in 2023. Dr. Pham was willing to create a fast track for clients coming from our SSP to his clinic for primary care, addiction medicine, and HCV treatment and did so outside of the usual systemic confines that regulate medicine and community partnerships. Dr. Pham has since moved away from the area but his presence here is missed. In this sit down we discuss MAT/ MOUD, what makes treatment low barrier, and other restrictive practices that often put provider liability over patient well-being. 
Learn more about the harm reduction work Challenges Inc SC is doing in South Carolina at www.challengesinc.org. 

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In this episode Raymond interviews the founder and director of Challenges Inc SC, Marc Burrows. We cover the history of Challenges Inc, the reasons for starting the first syringe service program in South Carolina and learn about parts of the journey since then. 
Special thanks to Counter Narrative Project for their support to lift up this work. 
https://thecounternarrative.org/
To learn more about harm reduction in South Carolina and to support Challenges Inc, visit: 
www.challengesinc.org 
https://www.facebook.com/ChallengesIncorporated/#
https://www.instagram.com/challenges_inc

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-needle-and-the-narrative--1518412/support.

Episode 4 of the four part series funded by the Counter Narrative Project. Carrying the story forward; lived experience, leadership, and harm reduction. Come along as we discuss idenity, substance use, HIV, sex work, housing, and fighting healthcare stigma. 

Raymond Velazquez-Turner is a public health leader and harm reduction advocate working with the Western North Carolina AIDS Project and Challenges Inc SC. Raymond's work centers on outreach, HIV testing, overdose prevention, and client centered harm reduction strategies that address HIV transmission, stigma, and structural barriers faced by underserved communities. 

This series was supported by the Counter Narrative Project out of Atlanta, Georgia. Learn more about CNP by visiting https://thecounternarrative.org/

This podcast is hosted by Challenges Inc SC, a syringe services program in South Carolina. Visit https://challengesinc.org/ to learn more about our work. 

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-needle-and-the-narrative--1518412/support.

The Needle and the Narrative, episode 3 of the new series with support from the Counter Narrative Project. We'll be digging into how substance use, HIV risk, and LGBTQ+ identity intersect, along with the barriers folks face in accessing affirming care and harm reduction services. 

Nathaniel Bush is the author of two books; one of original poetry that addresses themes of sex, love, spirituality, addiction, friendship, harm reduction, and politics, and another that caught the attention of The Advocate Magazine, where he was featured following the tragic Pulse Nightclub Shooting in Orlando, FL. 

We'd like to thank The Counter Narrative Project for their support with making this podcast series. To learn more about CNP visit: https://thecounternarrative.org/

To learn more about Challenges Inc SC and the harm reduction work happening in South Carolina, visit: https://challengesinc.org/

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-needle-and-the-narrative--1518412/support.