What Do Women Want? Combatting Stigma and Developing Gender-Responsive Services for Women Who Use Drugs

Women who use drugs are at disproportionate risk of exposure to HIV and HCV, inadequate healthcare access, and interpersonal violence. While harm reduction practices are shown to improve outcomes associated with substance use, women experience unique barriers to accessing these services, including overlapping forms of stigma, fears of criminal-legal involvement, gender-based violence, and limited gender-responsive programming. Providers and organizations who work with women who use drugs should develop methods for bridging gaps in care based on the latest evidence. This talk will explore the current landscape of care for women who use drugs and equip providers with strategies to combat stigma and meet the healthcare needs of this community.

A few learning objectives:

-Gain understanding of how gender influences experiences of stigma, violence, and criminalization among women who use drugs.
-Learn about gaps in healthcare and harm reduction services for this population.
-Identify opportunities for implementing gender-responsive services in your clinical practice.

About the presenter: Alex Rains, MD, is a resident physician in psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. She studies substance use patterns and harm reduction strategies across the rural United States. She is particularly interested in women’s mental health, peripartum substance use, and exploring experiences of drug-related stigma. Her presentation captures her own experiences in this field and reflects the insights shared by women who use drugs with whom she has had the privilege of working over the years.