Sala de consumo | Consumption Room

Black immigrant women are serving as informal "health connectors" in their communities, using shared language and cultural understanding to help immigrants navigate the U.S. health care system. These unpaid navigators guide people through insurance applications, connect them to doctors, host community events and distribute multilingual information to break down barriers to health care.

The Cherokee Nation harm reduction program provides supplies like clean needles and Narcan to those using drugs and even offers safe, clean environments for drug use with staff available to assist during overdoses. As opioid addiction has disproportionately impacted Indigenous communities, the program also provides opportunities for people in recovery to participate in cultural activities. So far, the program has encountered several thousand people and has saved 44 lives with Narcan distribution.

Necesito Abortar is a group of 20 “acompañantes” (companions) who provide support and education throughout the abortion process. The group provides counseling, in-person and virtual accompaniment and follow-up care for people seeking at-home abortions. The group also works to take care of its volunteers by hosting annual meetings for volunteers to connect, and encouraging them to make time for self care.

Mobile crisis response teams, like CAHOOTS and the Ulster County mobile teams, deploy crisis workers and medics instead of police to situations like mental health crises and welfare checks, to avoid unnecessary escalation. Counties with mobile teams say the quality of care they receive has dramatically improved. In Ulster county alone, they receive about 4,000 diverted 911 calls annually and only five to 10% of them require police backup.

Komfot Health operates a technology-driven network providing post-abortion care and sexual reproductive health services across Nigeria. The organization trains healthcare providers to address biases, uses a chatbot system for patient triage and connects women to verified medical facilities in six states, acting as intermediaries between women seeking care and trusted healthcare providers. Since launching in 2024, Komfot Health has served over 1,790 women.

After sudden U.S. government funding cuts jeopardized South Africa's HIV programs, Limpopo's Hlokomela Clinic quickly reorganized around existing resources, training community health workers to identify and encourage farm workers to visit still-operational clinic sites for HIV testing. By leveraging volunteers, they partially offset the impact of losing their dedicated HIV testing outreach team and program funding.

Los Angeles County’s Homeless Outreach & Mobile Engagement (HOME) program uses street psychiatry to get psychiatric medication to people experiencing homelessness in an effort to get them a step closer to housing. The HOME team has 223 full-time staff members and served 1,919 people last year, 22% of whom ended the year housed.

Project CARA (Care that Advocates Respect/Resilience/Recovery for All) supports pregnant and parenting people with substance use disorders, providing healthcare, addiction resources and obstetrics care in one spot. The program's hub-and-spokes model makes care more accessible, especially for those in remote areas. Data from the Project also indicates that participants of the program are more likely to attend prenatal and postpartum appointments than those outside of the program.

The Olympia Bupe Clinic's walk-in model for treating opioid addiction allows patients to receive medication-assisted treatment with buprenorphine on their first visit without barriers or extensive wait times. This low-barrier approach eliminates the hurdles people often face when seeking treatment. The Clinic also hires staff with lived experience with addiction to build trust and community with patients.

Studies show that people who received at least one dose of naloxone following an opioid overdose are 11 times more likely to survive. In response, state policies and community-level programs and organizations are working to make naloxone accessible to those who need it. Today, naloxone can be found in grocery stores, gas stations, provided at events like concerts and community spaces like libraries.