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.
Learn more about harm reduction
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Syringe service programs (SSP) are well-established interventions supported by health and social service providers and agencies. 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 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 public health professional and harm reductionist with over a decade of experience advancing health equity through trauma-informed, low-barrier care. She currently serves as Field Epidemiologist for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health in the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction. Previously, she held senior leadership roles at Prevention Point Philadelphia, including Director of HIV Services and Director of Social Services, where she oversaw programs including case management and MOUD and led the creation of Sana Clinic, a comprehensive low-barrier HIV clinic. Tracy also served as Senior Clinical Research Coordinator at Thomas Jefferson University, contributing to harm reduction research and peer-reviewed publications on overdose prevention, drug checking, and risk reduction. She holds an MPH 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
HEALTH EDUCATOR - HARM REDUCTION
John joined SUPHR in April 2025 as a Harm Reduction Specialist where he provides access to harm reduction supplies and facilitates overdose prevention and reversal training. Prior to joining SUPHR he conducted public health research on vaccine hesitancy. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of California, Riverside and earned a graduate degree from Princeton University. John is committed to supporting public health and centering dignity, equity, and autonomy for the people of Philadelphia.
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Roxana Lizarraga
HARM REDUCTION SPECIALIST
Roxana.Lizarraganavarro@phila.gov
Roxana Lizarraga (Roxi) is a bilingual (English/Spanish) public health professional, Certified Peer Specialist, medical and mental health interpreter, and community advocate dedicated to advancing health equity and culturally responsive care in underserved communities across Philadelphia.
She currently works within the Harm Reduction Program under the Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction Division at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, where she supports overdose prevention initiatives, community outreach, harm reduction education, and resource navigation through a trauma-informed and dignity-centered approach.
Originally from Peru, Roxana studied Translation and Interpretation at the Women’s University of the Sacred Heart (UNIFE) and later completed a Spanish English Medical Interpreter certification through LaGuardia Community College. She also brings leadership experience coordinating public health operations, outreach initiatives, multi-site community programs, and cross-sector partnerships throughout her work with PDPH.
Roxana is currently pursuing her Associate Degree in Health Care Studies at the Community College of Philadelphia as part of her pathway toward becoming a Registered Nurse.
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Miles Jaworski
HARM REDUCTION SPECIALIST