Joining the HIV Alliance as a prevention manager was a natural transition for Dane Zahner. His background was in retail management, but he was already on the board of HIV Alliance and deeply committed to its mission of supporting people living with HIV/AIDS and preventing new HIV infections. As a gay man and a recovering alcoholic, he wanted to protect the LGBTQ community and people who use drugs.
“Understanding addiction is helpful,” Zahner said.
HIV Alliance works to breakdown stigma around HIV to connect Oregonians with testing, prevention, and treatment. HIV Alliance also supports people reduce their risk of HIV and hepatitis C infection, including PrEP and PEP, syringe exchanges and syringe drop boxes.
This work has naturally placed HIV Alliance in a position of leadership with harm reduction work in Oregon. The organization’s work has expanded to overdose prevention, becoming a key resource for naloxone training for other organizations.
As an organization working at the intersection of infectious disease prevention and overdose prevention, HIV Alliance’s unique perspective is helping educate partners on the life-saving impact of harm reduction. Zahner and HIV Alliance played a significant role in at least five organizations joining Save Lives Oregon and expanding or starting harm reduction programs.
Today, Zahner is one of three prevention managers at HIV Alliance and serves on the leadership board of Save Lives Oregon. He works in the Roseburg area, which comes with unique challenges.
Naloxone trainings offer Zahner an entry point to talk to partner organizations about how they can also access harm reduction resources offered by Save Lives Oregon to support the people they serve. This is critical in a rural area like Roseburg, he said.
“It spreads more naloxone around,” he said. “Some rural areas don’t have a pharmacy. Their access to naloxone is us. When there are pharmacies, asking for naloxone can be stigmatized.”
In addition to trainings, Zahner collects and shares data and trends on HIV and hep C infections, as well as drug use and overdose in the area with community organizations and government agencies. Through his consistent education, people are learning that harm reduction is critical to keep people alive and — when they’re ready — to connect them to treatment. When necessary, Zahner connects with treatment providers’ personal lived experience of addiction and recovery.
“I help people understand that before they were in recovery, what kept them alive was harm reduction,” Zahner said. “Without harm reduction to keep someone alive, reducing their risk on overdose, HIV and hep C, they may not get to recovery. I remind them, ‘Somebody was there to support you and help you get here today.’”
Since the launch of Save Lives Oregon, Zahner said harm reduction has become more accessible, including in rural regions that he did not expect.
“Agencies are expanding services in eastern Oregon — places we thought we’d never see offer harm reduction now have access to lifesaving supplies,” he said. “We know not everyone makes it through treatment the first time. You still want to protect that person.
