Harm Reduction Team
Harm Reduction is the understanding that drug use occurs on many levels (including recreational use) and that tools and interventions can be used to prevent the negative effects of drug use. This may include preventative steps, like testing drugs with fentanyl test strips to confirm the presence of fentanyl, or retroactive measures, like using the life-saving overdose reversal medication naloxone.
Harm reduction also seeks to mitigate the social impact of drug use. This includes reversing the stigma of drug use, advocating for safe use, and promoting person-centered language. The Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction’s Harm Reduction team promotes these principles by ensuring easy and equitable access to harm reduction supplies, advocating for the rights of people who use drugs, and leading the fight to destigmatize and decriminalize drug use.
Want to learn more? SUPHR provides education and information on harm reduction services in Philadelphia and ways to stay safer while using drugs.
Want to get involved? SUPHR gives Philadelphians access to naloxone and fentanyl test strips, and training on how to use them both.
Community outreach
The Harm Reduction team regularly engages in community outreach and events through tabling, pop-up naloxone and test strip trainings, and street-based outreach.
During pop-up events, staff set up a table outside at a location with limited naloxone access or high numbers of overdoses and provide naloxone and test strips along with quick demonstrations, and other useful supplies such as condoms, masks, hand sanitizer, and more.
If you are interested in having a SUPHR table at your next community event, you can email overdose.prevention@phila.gov
Drug checking
Since September 2020, PDPH has had a partnership with the Center for Forensic Science Research & Education (CSFRE) to monitor the local drug supply. This drug-checking program provides information on what is in drugs in Philadelphia and allows SUPHR to provide information to the public and healthcare providers about the presence of xylazine, nitazene analogs, and other drugs and contaminants in the drug supply.
Other harm reduction information
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Syringe service programs (SSP) are well-established interventions supported by health and social service providers and agencies including the CDC. Providing clean syringes is vital because sharing syringes and other equipment can lead to the transmission of infections like hepatitis C (HCV) and HIV. Hepatitis C (HCV) infection occurs at very high rates among people who inject drugs, particularly among those who share injecting equipment and other materials like cookers. In Philadelphia, 60 percent of acute HCV patients report that they’ve injected drugs.
Studies have shown that SSPs reduce HCV transmission and even prevented an estimated 10,000 new cases of HIV among people who inject drugs in the first 10 years of their existence in Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, the only sanctioned SSP is Prevention Point Philadelphia (PPP). PPP, like many other SSPs, provides clean syringes, HIV testing, wound care, linkage to medical care and medications for opioid use disorder, as well as the opportunity to safely dispose of used syringes.
Want to learn more? Click to read information from the National Harm Reduction Coalition and CDC on syringe service programs.
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Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) are centers where people can bring their own drugs, like heroin or cocaine, to use under medical supervision. Philadelphia does not have an OPS, but the first sanctioned OPS in the United States opened in late 2021. The New York City program, OnPoint, reversed almost 700 overdoses in its first year of operation. While the primary goal of these sites is to prevent fatal overdose, they also improve community health by providing a sterile and safe environment with medical support to help prevent skin infections and abscesses, the transmission of diseases like HIV and hepatitis C, and dangerous conditions like endocarditis. At an OPS, people also have the opportunity to connect with case managers and mental health treatment. Clients can access support and be connected to substance use treatment, primary medical care, and other social services, like housing, if needed.
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Meet the team
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Rose Laurano, MPH
HARM REDUCTION MANAGER
Rose Laurano (they/them) is the Harm Reduction Manager for the Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction Division of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. A harm reductionist with nearly a decade of public health and direct service experience, Rose previously worked at Prevention Point Philadelphia in syringe services, housing, and homeless outreach, and later supported clinical research at Jefferson and Drexel focused on improving care for people who use drugs. They hold an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Temple University.
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Tracy Esteves Camacho, MPH
FIELD EPIDEMIOLOGIST
Tracy Esteves Camacho is a mission-driven harm reductionist and public health worker with over a decade of experience in social services and medical care for marginalized communities.
Tracy previously held various leadership roles at Prevention Point Philadelphia, including Director of HIV Services and Director of Social Services. She oversaw various service programs, including case management, medication for opioid use disorder, and reentry services. Additionally, she developed and implemented Sana Clinic, a comprehensive, low-barrier HIV clinic in a harm reduction setting. Her work prioritized trauma-informed care, interdepartmental coordination, and data-driven service design. Tracy was also a Senior Clinical Research Coordinator at Thomas Jefferson University, leading qualitative research under Dr. Megan K. Reed on overdose prevention, drug checking technologies (including immunoassay testing and FTIR), and risk reduction strategies. She contributed to peer-reviewed publications and played a key role in developing outreach and training materials for engaging people who use drugs and community stakeholders. Earlier in her career, she supported individuals with serious mental illness and chronic homelessness while working at a Project HOME men’s safe haven, helping clients navigate housing, healthcare, and social service systems.
Tracy is deeply committed to health equity, community partnership, and system-level change. She believes everyone deserves dignity, respect, and low-barrier access to quality services, without judgment or stigma. Tracy holds a Master of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Temple University.
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Krys Perea
HARM REDUCTION COORDINATOR
Krys Perea is a proud North Philly native with over five years of experience working and volunteering in harm reduction spaces. Deeply rooted in compassion and community, Krys is passionate about supporting people who use drugs, those experiencing homelessness, and youth navigating re-entry and recovery.
His journey in harm reduction began in 2020, when he worked as a Drop-In Case Manager, connecting individuals actively using substances to essential medical care, housing resources, and harm reduction supplies. Through this work, Krys developed a strong foundation in trauma-informed care and built meaningful relationships with people often left out of traditional systems of support.
Outside of his professional roles, Krys stays actively involved in Philadelphia’s harm reduction community. He volunteers regularly with local non-profits at Pride events, warming centers, wound care clinics, community clean-ups, and free meal distributions, always centering dignity and respect for those most affected by the War on Drugs.
Grounded in empathy and advocacy, Krys believes harm reduction is more than a set of practices—it’s a commitment to seeing people as whole, meeting them where they are, and walking alongside them toward stability, health, and self-determination.
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John Maldonado
HARM REDUCTION SPECIALIST