FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Abbey of St, Joan Receive the Golden Syringe Award
Seattle.WA (University District) – May 31, 2015 – The People’s Harm Reduction Alliance (PHRA) recognized the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Abbey of St. Joan with the first ever Golden Syringe Award on May 13th at PHRA’s Stand Up For Harm Reduction, Comedy Showcase at Jet City Improv.
The Sisters, an order of twenty-first century nuns dedicated to the promulgation of universal joy and the expiation of stigmatic guilt who have helped lead the fight against HIV/AIDS were central figures in the Stand Up For Harm Reduction event. It’s only fitting that the Golden Syringe is larger than life and covered in glitter! It exemplifies the love and compassion the Sisters have towards harm reduction and Seattle’s transgender brothers and sisters. The Sisters took a stand in 2015 and made it possible for PHRA to start providing sterile and safe hormone injection needles free of charge to the transgender community through the University Needle Exchange.
Sister Glo Euro N’Wei states “I am deeply honored and proud to accept this award because my mission in life is everybody deserves love, everybody is worthy of love and everybody is love.” It’s a beautiful thing when two community organizations with similar philosophies can collaborate to strengthen our community.
“Every person that comes through our doors is told they are loved, they are worth it and they are good enough just the way that they are” says PHRA Executive Director, Shilo Murphy. PHRA works under the philosophy of harm reduction to fight the spread of infectious disease and educate the community about safer drug use. They offer safe disposal of used needles, access to new needles and clean supplies, referrals to other pertinent services such as detox and treatment options, and now free Hepatitis C testing, all in a non-judgmental environment. PHRA has been a key player in the local fight against Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS.
For more information about PHRA please visit www.peoplesharmreductionalliance.org
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WXYZ-TV Detroit Channel 7 Chief Health Editor Dr. Partha Nandi has more on a programs to give meth pipes to addicts and Narcan to heroin overdoses.
We recognized the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Abbey of St. Joan with the first ever Golden Syringe Award (covered in glitter of course) for their excellence in delivering love and compassion to our community. The award was presented on May 13th at PHRA’s Stand Up For Harm Reduction Comedy Showcase.
People kept coming to our program and saying that they were getting syringes because they didn’t have access to a pipe,” said Shilo Murphy.
Ria Tsinas a longtime volunteer of the People’s harm reduction alliance (PHRA) explains what does needle exchange means to her.
SONG: The People’s Harm Reduction Alliance (PHRA)
ARTIST: Shilo Murphy
ALBUM: Community Forum
You may not have caught this conversation Saturday morning at 7:30am, so we thought we would share this great interview with you.
Take a listen to our very own Shilo Murphy on KEXP’s Mind Over Matters radio show with host Mike McCormick.
“Harm reduction meets you exactly where you are at and gives you the power to make better choices for your life.” – Shilo Murphy
Michael Ninburg from the Hepatitis Education Project (HEP) talks about how we could prevent more people from being infections with Hepatitis C. PHRA considers HEP one of their best friends and allies in the fight against hepatitis C. For more information, please see their website athepeducation.org
Alicia Milar one of the incredible volunteers at PHRA. She gives a brief Narcan training so you can better understand how to use this life-saving drug
Pam Lynch a true superstar of harm reduction. We were lucky enough to catch up with her at the last drug policy alliance conference in Denver. She explains what does syringe exchange mean to her.
Joelle a bad ass volunteer at PHRA explain how do you use Narcan