News and Announcements
 Exciting Updates to the Overdose Prevention Hub!
The Overdose Prevention Hub at ODFreeSCC.org now features a new and improved search function to help you find overdose resources with ease.
🔎 What’s New?
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Interactive Map: View resources across the county and those nearest you.
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Filters: Narrow down your search by category.
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Keyword Search: Quickly locate specific resources with a search bar.
Explore resources, including free harm reduction supplies, free naloxone, support groups, recovery centers, and more. Stay informed with data dashboards and find tips for friends and family to get involved in preventing overdoses.
Visit ODFreeSCC.org (or SCCSinSobredosis.org in Spanish) today and share this powerful tool with your networks. Together, we can end overdoses in Santa Clara County.
Navigator’s Corner: Join the Discussion
Santa Clara County is partnering with community health organizations to create a navigator-led collective that improves access to treatment and services for people who use drugs. To ensure this is navigator-driven, we are hosting focus groups to:
- Identify client touchpoints in treatment.
- Build a Community of Practice for navigators.
- Develop resources and a sustainable care framework.
- Create an easy-to-use care roadmap.
Please join us on one of the following days for a virtual focus group where we will engage in a facilitated group discussion.
đź“… Focus Group Options:
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Wednesday, February 5, 2025: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
OR
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Thursday, February 6, 2025: 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
We value your input—please join us and share this with others in navigation work. For details, contact Liz Slocum or Ivette Lorenzo.
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2025 Viral Video Contest Now Open
The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department’s Sexual Health and Harm Reduction Program is excited to announce the launch of the 2025 Viral Video Contest for high school age students in the county! With 15–24-year-olds accounting for half of all new STIs, according to the CDC, this is an opportunity for youth to create 30–90 second videos reducing stigma around STIs, encouraging safer practices, and promoting healthy relationships. Winners can earn up to $1,500, with their school receiving $500. Submit entries by March 7, 2025, and visit GoViralSCC.org for details, past videos, and more. Students taking classes in sexual health, video production, animation, and theater are highly encouraged to participate. Questions? Email vvc@phd.sccgov.org.
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 Bay Area Harm Reduction Meetup
Mark your calendars for the first gathering of a new Bay Area group for individuals involved in harm reduction work hosted by the California Syringe Exchange Programs (CASEP) Coalition. This collective space will foster mutual support, collaboration, resource and skill sharing, grieving, and solidarity.
đź“… Date: Monday, January 27, 2025
đź•– Time: 7 p.m.
đź“Ť Address: 1924 Union St, Unit 1, Oakland, CA
This will be an ongoing monthly meetup. Feel free to share this announcement with others who may be interested.
Want to get involved? Reach out to collaborate!Â
January 2025: First-Ever Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month
January 2025 marks the inaugural Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Month, an annual observance dedicated to recognizing the critical role of treatment, highlighting its benefits, and normalizing seeking help for SUD.
In honor of this month, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month Toolkit, featuring social media shareables, website graphics, virtual meeting backgrounds, and more to help spread awareness of SUD treatment's positive impact on communities nationwide.
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 Take a Break from Substances with Medication Assisted Treatment
Do you have participants, clients, or patients that are interested in taking a break from opioids, stimulants, alcohol, or tobacco as a new year’s goal?
The Public Health Department’s Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) can help. We provide low-barrier accessible treatment options for those looking to take a break from substances or reduce their risk of overdose.
Clinical providers are available for same-day telehealth appointments. Contact Marissa Gutierrez to schedule a presentation to learn more about the program or contact Michael Thompson, Substance Use Navigator or (408) 655-6196  to refer someone to the program.
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Harm Reduction Program Services Highlight
Community Health Outreach Volunteer Program
 On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department Sexual Health and Harm Reduction Program in partnership with consultant, Balanced Imperfection, held a project showcase of final presentations from nine community members that participated a 16-week Community Health Outreach Volunteer (CHOV) training. Congratulations to our graduates!
Over the course of the program, CHOV participants took a deep dive into topics, such as harm reduction service provision, overdose prevention, client-centered care, universal precautions, safer drug use, cultural humility, how discrimination, trauma, and stigma impact marginalized populations, and the importance of using person first language. The CHOV training prepares harm reduction staff and volunteers to provide education, supplies, and services to participants to prevent transmission of HIV, HCV, and STIs, reduce overdose, and improve the health and well-being of people who use drugs in our community. Contact us to learn more about the program.
Harm Reduction Program Staff Spotlight
Markis Derr, Champion of Compassion and Change
Markis Derr brings heart and determination to his role as a Community Outreach Specialist with the Harm Reduction Program. His work touches every corner of harm reduction—distributing supplies, preventing overdoses, providing education, and advocating for those who are too often overlooked.
“I was inspired by how stigma and misperceptions prevent people from accessing lifesaving services,” Markis shares. “I wanted to be part of a movement that centers compassion and meets people where they are.”
For Markis, the most rewarding part of his work is seeing the real impact it has. “Last year, the Narcan we distributed reversed over 650 overdoses. That’s 650 lives saved, 650 people who got another chance.”
Markis wishes more people understood what harm reduction is truly about. “It’s not about enabling drug use—it’s about saving lives and reducing risks. It’s rooted in public health and human rights.”
Markis’s commitment is a reminder that harm reduction isn’t just about interventions—it’s about connection, dignity, and hope for a better tomorrow.
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Trainings
In-Person Trainings
Virtual Trainings
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January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Learn about sex and labor trafficking with this self-paced series created by Healthy Teen Network. While tailored to Maryland, participants from any state can benefit.
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The Gender Affirming Health Topics Series with Dr. Jen Hastings are an opportunity for trans and gender diverse community members and allies to learn about various gender affirming health topics:
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Behavioral Health Services Department Trainings from The Q Corner: View trainings for 2025 and register using the appropriate link:
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Racial Equity & Improving Access to Care January 23, 2025: Â CA Bridge will examine how personal biases can influence the care we provide to individuals who use drugs. They discuss effective strategies to reduce bias and stigma in the context of behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment.
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California-based SSPs webinar training series hosted by the National Harm Reduction Coalition (NHRC):
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Earn Free CME/CE Credits with CA Bridge Academy: CA Bridge Academy offers free online courses for health care providers, covering opioid and alcohol use disorder treatment, pain management alternatives, and more. Courses fulfill DEA’s 8-hour SUD training requirement for prescribers.
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Harm Reduction Training Modules: Self-paced courses covering overdose prevention, harm reduction principles, and engaging people who use drugs.
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Trauma-Informed Care for Post-Overdose Outreach: Learn to apply trauma-informed approaches in post-overdose outreach.
Funding Opportunities
Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program
HRSA’s Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program aims to train addiction medicine specialists to serve in underserved, community-based settings that integrate primary care with mental health and substance use disorder services.
đź’° Funding Available: $23 million for 28 awardees over five years.
đź“… Application Deadline: February 28, 2025
For questions, contact Dr. Anthony Schlaff.
Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Overdose Response
HRSA’s RCORP-Overdose Response program provides one-year funding to reduce and prevent overdoses in rural areas through substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery activities.
đź’° Funding Available: Up to $300,000 for 20 awardees.
đź“… Application Deadline: March 10, 2025
đź“… TA Webinar: January 20, 2025
View the Notice of Funding Opportunity or contact Diana Wang for details.
Suicide Prevention Mini-GrantÂ
Organizations in Santa Clara County can apply for mini-grants of up to $5,000 to support mental health promotion and suicide prevention efforts targeting Latinx/e, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean communities.
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Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis from October 2024 through March 2025
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Funds Usage Deadline: June 30, 2025
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Limit: One grant per organization
For more information, view the Request for Proposals. Email questions to PreventionServices@hhs.sccgov.org.
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Resources for Community Organizations
 Free Period Products and Outreach Kits for Community Partners
Order free period products and educational kits through Planned Parenthood for your organization.
Available Kits:
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Middle School Kit: Includes sex ed resources and puberty info.
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High School and College Kit: Features STI prevention and relationship guidance, plus condoms and lube.
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Adult Kit: Contains information on pregnancy options.
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Parent and Caring Adult Kit: Offers guidance on discussing relationships and consent.
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Period Products Kit: Includes tampons, pads, and PPMM service info.
Requests are fulfilled based on availability and shipped at no cost.
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Request Harm Reduction Services and Supplies
If you are a community based organization or business in Santa Clara County and would like harm reduction services or supplies, please complete the Harm Reduction Program's request form. This includes requests for outreach events, training sessions, health education materials, and presentations.
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Free Condoms for Santa Clara County Organizations
Get Involved
Join the Santa Clara County Drug User Health Advisory Committee (DUHAC)
The Drug User Health Advisory Committee (DUHAC), is a collaborative harm reduction initiative designed to empower drug users and community stakeholders in guiding harm reduction services. This partnership offers a platform for you to provide meaningful recommendations, share feedback, and support the development of services that benefit drug users and their communities.
Meetings: Held every fourth Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. on Zoom.
For more information or to get involved, email duhac.scc@gmail.com or join our mailing list. Let's work together to make a difference!
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Join the Santa Clara County Opioid Overdose Prevention Project (SCCOOPP)
SCCOOPP is a coalition of health care professionals and volunteers dedicated to promoting opioid safety in Santa Clara County. As part of the California Opioid Prevention Network, we provide education on safe opioid use, improve access to treatment for opioid use disorder, and distribute naloxone kits to reverse opioid overdoses.
Meetings: Held virtually every fourth Tuesday noon to 1:30 p.m.
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About the Harm Reduction Program
For the past three decades, the Harm Reduction Program has been at the forefront of public health efforts to promote safer behaviors proven to control the spread of blood borne viruses, such as HIV and Hepatitis C. The program is also playing a vital role in helping to decrease opioid overdose deaths and serve as a bridge to other health and social services.
The Harm Reduction Program is housed within the Sexual Health and Harm Reduction Program of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. 
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