YCCR: A Project with a Purpose
The amazing SHAWN Summer program provided those who participated a unique opportunity to create and foster connections with various organizations around New Haven. One such site was the Yale Clinical and Community Research Center (YCCR) where we went to speak with SHAWN consultant Dr. Jamie Meyer. During this visit we toured the office as well as the mobile healthcare van that offers free medical services to low-income areas of New Haven. Their mission of offering support through a harm reduction approach (like the one we use for SHAWN) inspired me to become involved in volunteering. I started out making safe sex and drug use kits, and I now help twice a week working the front desk for the syringe exchange program. There, local residents dispose of their used syringes safely in exchange for new ones and are offered a variety of other materials including clean pipes, bandages, antibiotic ointment, tampons/pads, water, snacks and socks. There is a common area with a library and a phone for public use as well. The YCCR also supplies free Narcan, fentanyl testing and CPR classes upon request.
In a typical exchange, we ask the person to give us an estimate of the number of syringes they’re bringing in so we can match that amount. If someone arrives empty-handed, we do not refuse them, we simply encourage them to bring what they can next time. Working the front desk for a few months now, I’ve been able to gradually make connections with the people who come in as well as my supervisors and fellow volunteers. There is a real sense of community in the office but also between the YCCR and New Haven residents. Volunteering regularly has given me valuable real-world experience for SHAWN but also an appreciation for the incredible work being done to de-stigmatize drug use and provide critical resources to the community.
Volunteering has also significantly supplemented my role as a researcher for SHAWN. Many who use the YCCR have been impacted by the justice system, HIV, and drug use. Interacting and learning of their experiences has helped me connect to the project on a deeper level and further humanize the women we’ve interviewed. I’ve gained critical perspective on how COVID personally affected those who were already struggling to secure housing and access to basic necessities. I am proud that both the SHAWN team and the YCCR are doing important work to raise awareness to the struggles of underrepresented demographics in the midst of a global crisis.