BARRIERS TO RADICAL HEALTH: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC INVESTIGATION OF HARM REDUCTION IN PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA

Harm Reduction is a public health practice and social justice philosophy which aims to reduce the harms associated with drug use through pragmatic health strategies and advocacy. This paper ethnographically details the experiences and challenges of Harm Reduction advocates in Palm Beach County, Florida for the purpose of exploring cultural and structural barriers for harm reduction in this local setting. Utilizing a lens of Critical Medical Anthropology, cultural and structural barriers represent the shared beliefs and institutional realities which combine to create barriers for advocates in maintaining the Harm Reduction resource they provide, as well as barriers people who use drugs (PWUD) face when trying to access those resources. These issues are explored through ethnographic data featuring the knowledge and experience of Rebel Recovery and its associated syringe services program (SSP), Florida Access to Syringe and Health services (FLASH), as well as a private clinic, the Harm Reduction Center (HARC).