Peer education to prevent HIV and overdose in Baltimore

This is a pilot study testing whether peer education—where people who inject drugs are trained to teach their friends and community about safer injection practices—can help reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis C, as well as overdose risk. The study focuses on Baltimore and involves training 120 community members to provide education and distribute harm-reduction supplies (like clean needles and overdose reversal medication) in places where people gather to inject drugs. The hope is that conversations between peers will help shift attitudes about safety and encourage people to use these protective resources.

People who inject drugs face serious risks from HIV, hepatitis C, and overdose, and traditional public health messages don't always reach them effectively. This study explores whether relying on trusted peers—rather than outside health workers—to share harm-reduction information and supplies can be more effective and empowering for the community.