An innovative recovery community organization model that provides the community with both recovery support services and harm reduction services
The Missouri Safe Project (MOSAFE) is a harm reduction program that works to address the opioid crisis and reduce the spread of infectious diseases, such as HIV and Hepatitis C, among Missourians who inject drugs.
The project grew out of the Missouri Network for Opioid Reform and Recovery, a non-profit, peer-based recovery community organization (RCO) created in 2015 and led by members of the recovery community, a hybrid model providing both harm reduction services and recovery support services. In 2018, the Missouri Safe Project received funding from the Elton John Aids Foundation for a syringe service program; its goal is to provide services to more than 800 at-risk individuals over the next two years.
The Missouri Safe Project’s syringe service program aims to reduce the use of unclean, unsafe needles by intravenous drug users and to link users with substance use, mental health and other health care treatment, as well as needed programs such as housing and food assistance.
The program also focuses on providing community education to Missourians on substance use disorders, overdose prevention education, and the importance of harm reduction programs such as syringe service programs.
This model can leverage the peer support workforce used in the recovery continuum to also provide harm reduction services to people who use drugs.