Shining a LIGHT Into Drug Darkness

Harm reduction services are very important for nurse practitioners (NPs) to understand and participate in with the epidemic of opioid abuse, injectable drug use, and associated infectious diseases that are occurring in public health. NPs in any role will encounter individuals affected by these issues, and education is needed to help understand and provide harm reduction services. The Living In Good Health Together (LIGHT) project is 1 example of a successful harm reduction program in Appalachia that started as a syringe access program and has grown into a prototypical harm reduction venture. This article describes the background, development, implementation, and analysis of the LIGHT project.