LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition (KyHRC) is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. The organization strives to reduce overdose deaths and the spread of disease across the Commonwealth.

What You Need To Know

  • The Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition celebrated 10 years over the weekend

  • The celebration included three separate events starting on Friday

  • The organization has distributed naloxone and test strips to thousands of Kentuckians over the years

  • It opened a health and wellness lounge last year, which is where one of the anniversary events took place

KyHRC was founded 10 years ago by three people with varying backgrounds: Donald Davis, Russ Read, and Arlene Rice.

“We met every Monday at the Starbucks on Hurstbourne and Taylorsville Road and it went from there and it turned into this through the years,” Davis said.

The nonprofit started with naloxone training and distribution, then added on syringe exchange services. It has grown over the years, getting naloxone and fentanyl test strips into the hands of thousands of Kentuckians.

“Over a million fentanyl test strips being distributed,” said Shreeta Waldon, the executive director of KyHRC. “500,000 naloxone being distributed throughout the state of Kentucky.”

A health and wellness lounge opened last year under Waldon’s leadership.

“I think people hear, ‘Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition has a health and wellness lounge,’ they automatically assume, ‘Is it safe consumption? Are they giving out syringes?’ And when they get in there, they’re just all like, ‘Wow… it looks like a living room,’” Waldon said.

It’s a safe space for people to find support and get access to resources. It also served as the first stop for the nonprofit’s weekend-long 10-year anniversary celebration.

“My goal is to bring people into the spaces we actually occupy to talk about something that’s really uncomfortable, shaming, and stigmatizing and saying it’s okay to have these conversations and that this is what we do,” Waldon said.

On Saturday evening, current and potential future community partners gathered at the organization’s office for a more intimate gathering.

“They’ve been an integral part of our city trying to take care of folks that use substances and keep people alive, educate the community, really meet people where they are and provide services that keep people alive,” said Jennifer Twyman, a community organizer with VOCAL-KY. She attended Saturday’s event.

The celebration ended with a benefit concert on Sunday evening.

“Arts is the great unifier, it’s the equalizer, it’s something that brings all communities together,” Waldon said.

The goal of this event-filled weekend was to raise money and plant seeds by building relationships with community members.

“My hope is that people walk away inspired to be a part of this journey with us moving forward so that we can have another 10 years,” Waldon said.

The coalition has a goal to raise $500,000 over the next year.

“Increasing our capacity involves being able to support the administrative cost over the next three years while building sustainable funding for our programs,” Waldon said in a text sent to Spectrum News.

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