About Project DHARMA
Project DHARMA (Distribution of Harm Reduction Access in Rural Maine Areas) is a collaboration between MaineHealth and community organizations dedicated to overdose and infection prevention in rural Maine.
What is harm reduction?
Harm reduction is an evidence-based set of strategies that reduces the risk of overdose and the infectious complications of substance use. It is built on a longstanding history of advocacy started by people who use drugs and acknowledges that people who use drugs should be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion.
How can we help?
Harm reduction outreach specialists, available through local syringe service programs, offer critical resources such as:
- Safer Use Supplies: Including wound care kits
- Naloxone: For rapid opioid overdose reversal
- Test Strips: For detecting xylazine and fentanyl
- Vaccinations: For certain communicable diseases like viral hepatitis A and B
- HIV and Viral Hepatitis Testing: Point of care services
- Linkage to Care: For HIV prevention through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
Project DHARMA partners with the following Maine SSPs to provide resources to those in need:
Project DHARMA collaborates with Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) to enhance harm reduction services in Maine’s rural counties and individuals at risk for communicable diseases. Project DHARMA helps connect SSP clients with care for infectious disease prevention and treatment, wound care, and substance use.
Project DHARMA’s goals include:
- Expanding the capacity of SSPs to provide overdose prevention, including drug checking services, and wound care.
- Expanding the capacity of SSPs to screen for HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.
- Promoting awareness of HIV prevention medications, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
- Integrating peer support workers to improve coordination necessary for obtaining HIV, viral hepatitis, wound care, and substance use services.
- Expanding the capacity of SSPs and academic partners to provide inter-professional harm reduction trainings.
Community Partners
Frannie Peabody Center, Nasson Health Care, Greater Portland Health, Preble Street, Health Reach
Academic Partners
Colby College, Brandeis University, University of New England, Brown University, University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame, Preble Street Learning Collaborative
Other Treatment Partners
MaineHealth Adult Specialty Care - Gilman Street, MaineHealth Wound Care, MaineHealth Infectious Diseases, Northern Light Infectious Diseases, Maine Behavioral Healthcare
State Partners
Maine CDC, Maine Office of Behavioral Health
With federal funding, we are purchasing fentanyl and xylazine test strips for distribution to clients accessing harm reduction services from Project DHARMA SSP partners.
With technical assistance from our academic partners, Project DHARMA harm reduction outreach specialists have received training on using Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy (FTIR). FTIR provides on-site drug checking to discover any potential unsafe contaminants in SSP clients’ drug supply.
Through a partnership with Colby College’s chemistry department and Drug Policy Lab, we use spectrometry-based confirmatory drug checking to help identify fentanyl levels and other contaminants present in drugs circulating in Maine communities.
Looking for more drug checking program updates?
Please refer to Project DHARMA Syringe Services Program partner websites and/or Streetcheck for drug checking updates and information.
Media Coverage
The Maine Monitor: More funding for harm reduction programs in Washington County (1/6/24)
Mainebiz: MaineHealth gets $1.2M grant for statewide overdose prevention (6/30/22)
Lewiston Sun Journal: Federally funded harm reduction program will expand lifesaving services in rural communities (7/1/22)
Project DHARMA Harm Reduction Trainings/Recordings
MaineHealth Awarded $1.2M for Overdose Prevention
MaineHealth secures a $1.2M federal grant to boost statewide overdose prevention and harm reduction.
Contact Us
Have questions about Project DHARMA or need assistance? Reach out to our team for more information and support.
Project DHARMA is made possible thanks to a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
This project is dedicated to Syringe Services Program (SSP) colleagues Jessi Gilbert (Maine Access Points) and Kari Morissette (Church of Safe Injection), whose vision for the grant application and harm reduction services helped make Project DHARMA's work a reality.