Harm Reduction Center of Southern Oregon

IMPORTANT NEWS ABOUT OUR WORK

• An estimated one million people are currently living with HIV in the United States, with more than 40,000 new infections occurring each year.
• 70 percent of these new infections occur in men and 30 percent occur in women.
• By race, 54 percent of the new infections in the United States occur among African Americans, and 64 percent of the new infections in women occur in African American women.
• 75 percent of the new infections in women are heterosexually transmitted.
• Half of all new infections in the United States occur in people 25 years of age or younger.

To learn more, read Addressing HIV & Hep C in Southern Oregon at the top of the side bar on the left.

Harm Reduction Center Welcomes Returning Board Member

The Harm Reduction Center of Southern Oregon welcomes Thomas Bernier as a returning member of the Board of Directors. During the early 1980s, Tom provided legal support to the newly formed Gay And Lesbian Alliance (GALA) in Roseburg. Through a 24 hour helpline and various support services GALA provided peer counseling and social activities to the rural homosexual community of Southern Oregon.

During the summer of 1986, when the first cases of AIDS began appearing in Southern Oregon, Tom joined Bob Allen and Billy Russo to found the Roseburg AIDS Task Force. The task force met for one year to determine how best to address the epidemic in rural Oregon. He served on the Douglas County AIDS Council Board through the late 1980’s and provided council to residents of Ruby House, the first home for people living with HIV/AIDS outside the Portland area, and clients and participants at the Harm Reduction Center of Southern Oregon, formerly the HIV Resource Center.

A member of the Oregon State Bar since 1977, Tom is employed by the Arneson Group in Roseburg. In his practice he primarily represents children removed from abusive and neglectful homes and adults and children charged with crimes. He is a member of the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyer Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, National Association of Children’s Counsel, the State Advisory Board for the Citizen’s Review Board, and is a past board member of Oregon Legal Services. He has represented clients in all Oregon courts from Justice of the Peace courts to the Oregon Supreme Court.

He created Mumblepiece Theater, a small company that creates and performs theatric presentations for training purposes for CASA, DHS/CWP and the Douglas County Health Department as well as other groups. He has presented on various issues related to trial practice and the representation of children for the Oregon Judicial Conference, the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, the Juvenile Court Improvement Project and the Oregon State Bar Juvenile Section.

Bryan McNutt joins the Board

The Harm Reduction Center of Southern Oregon welcomes Bryan McNutt as a member of the Board of Directors.  In 1987 Bryan worked with volunteers at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center in Roseburg to help fill the gap in health services to gay men living rurally.  During the late 1980s he provided medical care to people living with HIV/AIDS at his clinic in Glendale, Oregon.  Presently, he is playing an instrumental role in developing integrated medical services to Douglas County residents infected with Hepatitis C.

A licensed Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP) since 1981, Bryan is employed by the Umpqua Community Health Center (UCHC) in Roseburg where he works as a clinician and administrator.  He treats adolescents and adults.  In his 27 year long career as a nurse practitioner, he has been working with rural and underserved populations.   His leisure activities include eclectic reading, photography, sailing and canoeing.

A Brief History

The Harm Reduction Center of Southern Oregon (HRCSO) is a project of the Douglas County AIDS Council, which is governed by a board of directors.  The Board meets quarterly.  Board Development, Investments, Fund Development and Program Development/Evaluation Committees meet throughout the year and recommend policy and strategy to the full board.   

• DCAC evolved from the Roseburg AIDS Task Force in 1986 and received 501(c)(3) status in
  1987. 
• We operated the first successful home outside the Portland area for people living with
  HIV/AIDS, Ruby House, from 1988 to 1998.
• In 1998 we opened a storefront office in Roseburg, HIV Resource Center, and begin offering
  HIV prevention education and screening. 
• In 2001 we began providing syringe exchange in the Roseburg area. 
• In 2002 we expanded our prevention program to include Coos and Curry Counties along the
  southern Oregon coast.
• In 2003 we formed the Roseburg Hepatitis C Task Force with Douglas County Public Health and
  the Veterans Administration Medical Center and began integrating Hep C prevention into our
  programs.
• In 2005 we began offering Hep C and Hep B screening and Hep a-B vaccination to injection
  drug users in partnership with Douglas County Public Health.
• In 2006 we merged with AIDS Support And Prevention (ASAP) in Grants Pass and changed our
  name to Harm Reduction Center of Southern Oregon.
• In 2007 we begun addressing the disparity in services between urban and rural people affected
  by HIV/AIDS.  We believe rural people must have access to HIV services that are relevant and
  appropriate.

To learn more about the work of the Harm Reduction Center, our programs and our history, click on categories and the photo albums in the left sidebar.  To make a contribution, click on one of the options under GIVING in the sidebar.

Our Goals

For over twenty years, we have been building an environment of leadership, partnership, advocacy, and service to significantly reduce the dangers and health risks associated with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, and other communicable diseases. We strive to improve the health and well-being of people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, and other communicable diseases.

We will meet these goals by:

1. Serving as a community resource;
2. Reducing barriers to testing and counseling;
3. Implementing proven intervention strategies;
4. Enhancing access to medical services;
5. Maintaining a volunteer program; and
6. Educating and motivating our citizens through effective outreach programs.

Where we live and work

We serve an area covering four counties, totaling 9,900 square miles with two population centers (Roseburg and Grants Pass) along the I-5 corridor and Reedsport, Coos Bay/North Bend, Bandon, Port Orford, Gold Beach and Brookings along the Oregon coast.  Over a quarter million people live in the region we serve.  Many of them are members of high-risk populations. 

More than 150 people are reported to be infected with HIV in this area.  Chronic Hepatitis C became reportable in Oregon on July 1, 2005.  Over 600 chronic cases have been reported.   While the incidence of HIV in rural Oregon is low and the incidence of Hepatitis C has not been fully documented, the presence of high-risk activities, particularly injection drug use and unprotected sex, are significant.  We are the only community based organization providing these services in this four county region.

Disclaimer mandated by Federal law: This site contains HIV prevention messages that might not be appropriate for all audiences. Since HIV infection is spread primarily through sexual practices or by sharing needles, prevention messages and programs may address these topics. If you are not seeking such information or may be offended by such materials, please exit this website.