- Hush Sinn of Holler Harm Reduction in North Carolina delivers medical supplies to rural mountain communities to minimize overdose and infection risks, noticing spikes in substance use related to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist and BPR, a public radio station serving western North Carolina.
Hush Sinn delivers needles, naloxone, and other medical supplies to people in the mostly rural mountain communities of Madison County, North Carolina. Sinn does this through Holler Harm Reduction, a grassroots organization that strives to minimize the risk of overdose and infection in a region where many residents are still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
Sinn, who uses the pronoun they, believes the nonprofit, often known simply as “Holler,” has prevented a lot of tragedy. But nearly two years after the storm they and other harm reductionists have noticed a troubling pattern…