Dear members of the GLIDE community,

I am writing to share an article published in the New York Times that describes GLIDE’s approach to Harm Reduction in a few short sentences. In its brevity, the article did not fully capture our core belief in a personalized approach to treat substance use disorder (SUD). This approach includes introducing safer drug use habits, complete sobriety, and everything in between. It includes the needs of drug users and non users alike with the goal of creating safer, healthier communities for everyone. 

At GLIDE, we believe Harm Reduction promotes health across a broad continuum. We are resolutely committed to  address a public health crisis that has taken more than 800 lives from us in 2023 alone. We do this every day with people who need help navigating the complex journey of SUD. Addiction is a disease. We strongly believe the best way to treat a disease is through data-driven and effective public health interventions.

Under the leadership of our Chief Programs Officer, Lillian Mark, and our Director of Health Access, Michael Discepola, we are working hard to expand our services. We recently added additional testing and treatment programs in our new Service Hub located in the outdoor area next to 330 Ellis Street. Our Health Access program, including our Harm Reduction work, embodies our most core values of unconditional love and radical inclusivity. 

Our Health Access and Programs teams are hard at work building out a comprehensive set of services to address the overdose crisis. We recently added additional testing and treatment programs in our new Service Hub located in the outdoor area next to 330 Ellis Street and we are re-introducing our Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) support groups for our community.

Our message is simple. 

For anyone who walks through the doors at GLIDE – we see you, we love you, your life matters, and we will accept you exactly as you are.

To fight the overdose crisis, we have more work to do, and we won’t stop until we see this crisis abate.

With love and gratitude,

Dr. Gina Fromer
President & CEO