The Nose Dose Opioid Crisis Unplugged is a podcast

Speaker A: CASAT Podcast Network.

Bianca McCall: Welcome to the NOCE Dose Opioid Crisis Unplugged. The NOCE Dose Opioid Crisis Unplugged is a concise and insightful podcast offering a deeper dive into the realities faced by professionals combating the opioid epidemic. Join us as we reconnect with expert panelists from our listening sessions, providing a behind the scenes look at their work and insights into the pressing issues of prevention and diversion, harm reduction, opioid use, treatment, recovery and reoccurrence prevention. Welcome to the NOCE Dose brought to you by the Nevada Opioid Center of excellence at nvopioidcoe.org I am your host with the NOCE, Bianca, and we're going behind the front lines with paraprofessionals and community members alike who support the opioid response programming in Nevada State. And we're gathered here today to debrief after the latest. NOCE Sponsored listening session. We had a packed virtual room. The responsiveness was incredible. And Kat, I've said this to the technical team, at NOCE that I saw claps, I saw hearts, I saw celebration emojis, and all were pretty consistent throughout the event. And our listeners are very much looking forward to continuing this conversation with our subject matter experts, our panelists, and our panelists of the people the NOCE Dose unplugged.


There's a gap between research and practice when it comes to harm reduction

so today's special guest is Katarina Pulver. You're going to hear me call her Katarina You're going to hear me call her Kat. I may call her KP. We've had this whole discussion about how with me being a retired professional women's basketball player, we have nicknames, you know, on the platform, on the podcast. And so I'm excited to hear, you know what all nicknames. Kat, you're feeling comfortable with, us moving forward, but to introduce you to the audience, Kat is a health educator currently serving in the areas of training, program development and community outreach with the Southern Nevada Health District. And Kat has played a pivotal role in organizing events like the Overdose Prevention Summit.

Speaker A: Ah.

Bianca McCall: And critical public health initiatives like the fentanyl test strip program. And so, Kat, at some point during the podcast, or, excuse me, sometime at some point during the listening session, someone in the audience directed a question towards you and they asked, they said, where's the evidence? And that question brought to the forefront, really, there's a clear issue, right? There's a gap between research and practice. And the disconnect is oftentimes attributed to factors like there's barriers impacting lines of communication between researchers and practitioners and perhaps a lack of practical considerations in research design or translation issue, not being able to translate research into actionable steps with real world situations. And so I'm wondering if we can kind of open up talking about what is the role of Southern Nevada Health District in bridging that gap.

Speaker A: Yeah, so when it comes to bridging the gap between research and Application is our role, we have a couple of really special things. Is our role as health educators is to go out and learn about what is happening. I definitely love researching and going on to places like SAMHSA Next Distro, the National Harm Reduction Coalition. The CDC has been doing some really great work around this too and has some really great evidence to back up harm reduction programs and their efficacy. and then there's also now a harm reduction journal. so this is a peer reviewed evidence based journal that you can just go online and access their research. And they have been an incredible source for us as well when it comes to getting that research and data and being able to apply it, which we then at the health district are able to take, put into our trainings, put into whenever we have conversations like this to be able to say, hey, like this is what the evidence is seeing, this is what it's showing, and then be able to communicate that out to you all. So that's why it's really important to connect with places like obviously the Nevada, Opioid Center for Excellence as well as your local health, public health authority. Because our role as health educators is you can schedule a time at any point and be like, hey, I just need some technical assistance. And then we know we've done that research because we know that the people with their boots on the ground, y'all are inundated with doing the work with the boots on the ground as you should. Like that is your role and it's so critical and important. So our role is to help kind of sit down with you, learn what's going on in your world and what's happening and then be able to take some of the research and resources and technical assistance that we've received from national places and be able to help you apply it to your work. So that is part of what our role is. Obviously we do a lot more than that, but we're here for you all. Like that's our role at the community level, the socioecological model. Whenever you know we talk about harm reduction, it's important that we look down at the individual relationship level. Community level, societal level and be able to recognize the importance of every step. And that's our role up there at this community level is to be able to take that information, synthesize it and give it to other programs that are working more at that interpersonal and individual level. So that way we can all be engaged in best practices and know what's happening in the field so we can answer community questions and talk about that. Be able to provide evidence based tools and research to people that we're working with.

Bianca McCall: No, I love it. I mean it sounds really kind of like in short, you are the bridge, right? You are the bridge. so there isn't a gap. And you mentioned some sites and things like that, and resources that are your go to's, what are some other peer reviewed sites, some research programming and things like that you go to for evidence based information and that's related to harm reduction.

Speaker A: Yeah. So I mean the thing is that these research is happening like all across the board. So what we do here at the health district is when you go to, we work, we're obviously one of the backbone agencies for the Southern Nevada Opiate Advisory Council. So when we learn about things, it's hard for me to disappoint to one source and one outside of those like sort of main ones that I mentioned just because it can come from so many different areas. But when we read about a paper or we hear about something that's happened, research that is occurring or something that we really think the community should know about, like be like, hey, like this has been really important and really good information. what we do is actually if you join the Southern Nevada Opioid Advisory council or the Snoac, we both put it on our website@snowack.org there is a whole list of resources, and we list them at the national, state and local level down in Southern Nevada. So that way you can really drill it down to what you're looking for. but also we send it out in our community updates. So we send those out about monthly where not only do we talk about things like what's happening in the community, so what community events are there, agencies, or what agencies are doing what. We also give out sort of this information, be like, hey, we saw this super cool research, paper, this is something for you to know or hey, the CDC issued this health alert that I think it's really important that you all know as practitioners that like hey, there's a shortage of ADHD meds, so you might be seeing this in the community, according to the cdc. So we try to bridge that gap as much as possible and make it as accessible as possible that information. So, I would definitely encourage folks to, Because it'd be too long for me to list everything out that, that is a really great place to get those synthesized that really curated information that people would be interested in.

Bianca McCall: Absolutely. And the listservs are so helpful. I'm actually signed up for quite a few of those coming through the health district. And so I know when there are recalls on foods and all sorts of things. And so, to be in the know, you know, and enrolled with these listservs and connected to those community announcements, it's so helpful. So helpful. Thank you for that. so I, you know, the funny thing about being an educator, right, Is that, is that teaching is about continuous learning. Training is about continuous testing and the practical application piece. Right.


Kat, your role previous to the health district was in nonprofit work

And with that being said, Kat, what have you learned about yourself in the role at the health district?

Speaker A: What have I learned about myself? It's, you know, I think going to the health district has just been one continuous learning, opportunity for me. I. So, I mean, as I mentioned on the, in the listening session that happened recently, so my role previous to the health district has always been in nonprofit work. so that is a very different world than government work and not in a bad way. It's just obviously with nonprofits you're a little bit more maneuverable so you can kind of move on a dime and things. Whereas with a governmental agency it takes a little bit longer, sometimes a lot longer to be able to pivot in that same way. just because we have a lot more like steps that we've got to take, in order to ensure that, you know, things are running smoothly and that we're able to be actually, you know, to make sure that our programs are super accessible to literally all types of programs. since we're serving, again we're doing that community level work, it has been ah, a learning experience for me at the health district as I have really brought some new tools onto the health district and be able to say, hey, something I've gotten really good at is graphic design and designing for communities. It's always been something that I've been interested in and I've done on the side is for my nonprofit work and stuff. I don't have my own business or anything. It's just something that wasn't a main part of my duties. But I Got to sort of experience in the nonprofit life. And so the government work. I have both been able to go to, trainings and educational opportunities to teach me how to design better. So that way I can make things that are more accessible, both like thinking about reading level and language and just even the colors that you use, because colors can have different meanings as well as just like, making sure that your PowerPoints are accessible by actually having the appropriate contrast in your, like, letters and, what kind of pictures you use. So for me, that has been just an incredible learning opportunity as well as being able to. The way you communicate as a governmental agency is a little bit different than the way you do it in nonprofit. So I've been learning even, you know, almost five years in at this point, like, learning that new sort of way, that new sort of voice that you have to have as, someone in the government is. Has been, I think, a fun learning experience. Of course, sometimes I trip up and I mess up. I think that's part of being human and learning and growing. But I get to, But I'm so lucky to be surrounded by such an incredible team that is like, hey, like, we've all been there. Like, let's keep moving forward. You've learned the hard way, so let's keep going. so, I mean, it's definitely some things that I, think it's been a lot of fun learning. I'm just. I love learning. Even if it's kind of hard sometimes to grow. Growth isn't always comfortable. but, that's me, and I enjoy that. So it's something I've been excited and new to learn for myself.

Bianca McCall: Gosh, so many great things of what you said.


I'm interested in learning about nuances between nonprofit and government presentations

I'm very interested in learning kind of what are some of those nuances between, the voice and the, presentation of a government, professional versus you know, nonprofit. And I think that that's so important for our audience to learn too. there are nuances, there are distinctions between, you know, being an advocate and an activist. You know, And I think that, for a lot of us, you know, it depends on the day, it depends on what's going on in our own lives and things like that. You know, some days I wake up an activist Kat, you know, and some days I wake up an advocate. And so can you talk a little bit more about, what. What is that process of, taming almost, you know, that. That activist, that wild heart, you know, and you bring in, graphic designs and creative ways to be able to Express, you know, that identity. Right. And achieve those goals, those objectives and reaching diverse communities and things like that. And so I would imag. There's a ton of growth that's happened for you and I think, for all of us, that opportunity for all of us in this space, in this field. so can you talk a little bit more about that? Just the nuances between the activist, the advocate, the government official and that nonprofit. True, to passion.

Speaker A: Yeah, definitely. So, I think when it comes to the nonprofit world versus the government world is one for me at least, when it comes to government presentations. And again, I can't speak for all nonprofits. This has just been my experience. as I've kind of done the work is there's a lot more, citation of like, sources. Like, if you were to see my presentations back in my nonprofit world, yes, I had some citations at the end, but like, I wasn't having to cite like every single line that I write, to. So that people. Because people are interested, I mean, and rightfully so. Like, it's important that when it comes to the government, these are public service employees. Like, I'm a public servant employee. I have to be able to serve everyone in my community. So, I need to be able to provide the evidence of being like, why did you say that in particular? It's like, here is the research for that and here's the journal that it came from or here is the like, evidence based research behind it. So. And then be able to provide that. And you know, say here, if you would like to read the whole paper, you're more than welcome to. so there's definitely sort of that, growth as well. and then like when it comes to again, governmental agents, but it's nonprofit sometimes. Again, not all. Just, you know, I'm speaking from my own personal experience. We like to. It's your role to make change. Like, it's your role to kind of be a little bit of a rabble rouser. You don't want to do too much of a rabble rouser. But, your goal is to create change. Like, you're here because you're trying to make a difference and move and shift the community in one way or another. obviously nonprofits can't do like, they can't go and do legislation and stuff like that. But they can say like, here's what we're seeing and here's what's going on and we, can share all that out really quickly. M. And so. But some when it comes to government work, we have to be mindful that like a little bit more mindful than I have been in the past of being like, hey, this is, you know, I under this community is perhaps not quite, you know, we have to gauge the readiness of the communities a little bit more. So like there's a whole readiness scale and like what you can do to sort of sit down and like analyze what readiness level you're seeing and what does that mean? and is this, you know, where do we need to start that conversation? Do we need to start it? you know, are the, is the community ready to start, you know, do we need to start down here? The basic building blocks, like right down here at the bottom, do we need to, are they a little bit more ready for that? Are they up here, their expertise and knowledge, are they super experts and we can just talk more about maybe the idiosyncrasies and really just go into more of a TA mode. What does that look like? and so keeping that eye and then also branding and how you create the presentations is critical because you're going to be having your agency's sort of, logo on it, like right there at the top big you are using your agency's colors. there are specific sort of rules surrounding how you can set those PowerPoints up so that way it's accessible to folks and even what kind of pictures you use. So like something we don't do at the health district because it can be really triggering is show like pictures of pills on our screen or like needles or anything like that. Because that can be really triggering and also can sometimes, particularly in communities that maybe the readiness level is a little bit lower, can kind of shut down a conversation because it can induce and bring to the forefront some drug related stigma that surrounds having these conversations. So trying to even be very mindful about what kind of pictures we use and then also, being very, being extra mindful about the diversity of our photos that we're using. Because really this work impacts so many individuals. And when it comes to talking about sort of cultural diversity, it needs to be at the core of the work. So we need to be able to show many different faces, people, ability, status and be mindful of what's on the screen when we're talking about those issues. Because sometimes our own internal implicit bias that we may not be aware of can come out, into those presentations and trainings. We had to be like, whoa, do you realize that every time you talk about X, you're showing this, particular type of individual on the screen, which sometimes can be sort of a reality check and be like, oh yeah, my gosh, I like, thank you for calling to attention to that. Let me fix that. and so it's been really great to be able to explore that and like learn and be able to grow in that space. So I've really enjoyed. It's still something I'm learning and growing, because sometimes I'm with you. I have, that activist heart inside of me. So like, sometimes I want to go and make good trouble. And so, but I have to always remember that I have to represent a very diverse community. And as a governmental agency and as a public servant like, or as part of a governmental agency and as a public servant, like I need to be mindful that I'm serving everyone. and sometimes we're not the right messenger. Like that's the end of the day. Like we're just not the right messenger for the work. Because I mean, no matter when we're talking about, we talk about this in one of our trainings called Harm Reduction 201, which is understanding drug related stigma and talk about the history of this work and talk about how much of this work was designed to disproportionately impact people of color and were designed to cause harm. sometimes we're just not the right messengers and it's important that we recognize that too and step back, when it's appropriate and give that to someone else and help lift someone else's voice instead of ours because, you know, it's just the right thing to do.

Bianca McCall: Yeah, no, gosh, I appreciate that messaging so much and I wonder, what does that look like? How do we help lift, up other organizations, other platforms, and bring other voices into the conversation when we've recognized that we may not be the right messenger.


Health district reaches out to agencies to discuss harm reduction issues

Speaker A: So I think one thing that I really pride myself on our team is that we have a lot of really great connections. So we don't hesitate sometimes to just directly reach out to a group that we know is doing amazing work and would be a better messenger than us to talk about this issue or whatever topic is at hand. it's like, obviously if we you know, maybe we need to talk about harm reduction in a new and unique way, but it's not appropriate for us as the health district to do it because again, like, it might be more appropriate coming from someone else. We might reach out to our friends at Track B or at the PACT Coalition or just One of the many different agencies that we work with to be able to say, hey, you're incredible at talking about this and I think it's really important that you're the one who, you know, discusses this. So can you come and present at the Southern Nevada Substance Misuse and Overdose Prevention Summit? Can you come present at snowac? can you. Or we'll even just do the direct warm handoff. Say like, hey, you requested this training and we feel as though it'd be best if you talk to track B who already has incredible expertise and like voice surrounding this issue. So here's, you know, we talked earlier previously, to this, that there's another person in the community named Kat who also does harm, ah, reduction work. and so be like here, if you talk to Kat, you know, she can get you connected and she can really set you up with this. So that's sort of like how we do it. whether it's with warm handoffs or actively inviting them to present on large scale, you know, actively inviting that agency to prevent in a large scale sort of way. Like that's typically how we do it.

Bianca McCall: Okay. And for an agency that may be interested, feeling like, hey, we've got some, you know, materials, collaterals, we've got some trainings and things like that that we want to be able to bring to the community. We want to collaborate with the health district. Is there a process or a platform, a portal, anything to where people can submit applications or proposals and things like that to be able to partner?

Speaker A: Yeah. So when it comes to when it comes to just partnering with us, please just reach out. we love to be able just to talk. that's the first thing is we're pretty friendly, in case it's not coming across. Like we love talking to people. there's a reason why my health education team, we're always kind of like chatterboxes. We love having these conversations and just kind of learning what's out there because we don't know if we can be as in the community as we want. And still spaces can sort of, you know, planets can miss each other. Spaces don't quite connect. So definitely one just reach out to me. I think, you probably can find my email if you just Google my name all over the Internet at this point. but also on. So typically at around right now we're doing call for our planning committee for the 2025 Southern Nevada Substance Misuse and Overdose Prevention Summit, affectionately known as smops is what we call it. and so right now, if you want to be part of that planning committee, like, that one is really great for even just all I do is lead it and coordinate it. So they tell me what to do and then I go execute whatever their vision is, and then bring ideas to the table. Be like, oh, this is kind of the vision and vibe we're looking for. And I go, here's some ideas I've got. Like, and then here's what y'all proposed. Like, what do we want to do? So one, I would encourage you to do that because it is a great way of getting super connected to the community really fast and also making a big influence. And plus, the more diverse voices we have on that planning committee, the better it is. And we're having about 200 to 250 people attend that summit every single year. So it's a great way to also just plug into tons of different agencies and resources. But also, starting in around April, May, ish, usually April, we put out our call for workshops on that one. So that one is a great time to just come in. And then what happens is we give any sort of approve, it goes to our planning committee. The planning committee ranks them and does all this sort of math, on the back end, where we rate each part of the proposal and then it gets ranked, and then we have sort of a discussion about it to kind of make sure that we don't have like duplicate workshop, sort of ah, topics going on. But what happens is that anyone who is selected then gets to come into the summit for free. We, do have unlimited scholarships as well. So I mean, like, we try to make that as accessible to community. But then you don't have to apply for scholarships. You do get recognized and connected in a different way because we have like a whole app and a website and all that kind of fun stuff. So, I would say definitely if you're interested in getting a specific topic out, you want to talk on something, you have something you want to say, 1 definitely apply for that. To get connected to snow, I can reach out to the executive committee. on our page, on the snow act.org page, there is a connect with us so you can send us an email to say, hey, like, I have this sort of topic in mind or have this communication in mind that I want to share. And it goes on to sort of a list of topics that the community has brought up. And then based off of who's available and what's going on, we Bring that to our quarterly meetings as well. So that way we're able to share that out. Or if we don't, if it can't happen before the community, like it has to happen before the quarterly meeting, or it isn't selected for the quarterly meeting that they were hoping for, we go ahead and send that out. Like, if there's a training going on into our community, in our. Both in our ad hoc updates and it will get added to our community events calendar so that way people can see it. But again, you have to. We don't know what we don't know. and so as much as we try to be there for a whole bunch of different agencies and events, it helps sometimes if you just say, hey, like, I'm here and I, you know, I might be new in town or I might have this new prophet, new nonprofit, or I have this new sort of information I haven't seen around. Come talk to us. We're really excited and we want to connect.

Bianca McCall: Yeah. And I'm going to go ahead and vouch for you on that. you all are extremely friendly and welcoming. So, yes, go out. and I love what you said. You were like, google me. Get in touch with me. I used to say that to people all the time. Like, yeah, just Google me, you know. So, kp, thank you for that.


PWUD community needs to see themselves reflected and represented in recovery

something else that you said earlier, that really resonated with me was not only is it important for the community, and specifically when we're talking about harm reduction, we're talking about the community of people who are using drugs. not only is it important for the PWUD community to see themselves, not only as, ah, the community of using drugs, but to see themselves reflected and represented in recovery, right. In the recovery process as well as, as a professional, right. As a practitioner, as a helper, as a healer, right? So to see themselves at every stage of the continuum, right. Of recovery. and it's also important. And what you said is it's also important as a professional, as a helper and healer in the space to see yourselves at every stage of the continuum, right? And that's where we can kind of perhaps feel, this empathy, right? And feel like, listen, if this was my brother, my sister, my, this were me, you know, somebody who I care about in this, ah, situation, what level of care, what quality of care, you know, do I have the right to have access to, you know, and so I love, that you shared kind of that, that perspective and also the, dichotomy of responsibility Right.


The best way to treat burnout is by preventing it, says Embr

To see ourselves. And in order, from a professional standpoint, in order for us to see ourselves at every stage of the continuum in recovery, we have to see ourselves. Right. And that, I think is probably the hardest part.

Speaker A: Right.

Bianca McCall: The biggest challenge, is because sometimes in this work we can certainly lose ourselves to being over subscribed, to be overworked, underpaid, overwhelmed by this epidemic. we can certainly lose ourselves. And so, would you mind sharing kind of what does that process look like for you to where you're always able to come back and see yourself and to know yourself and to hold space for yourself in this work?

Speaker A: Yeah. So I think for me what's really important is unplugging, from the work and making sure I prioritize space for me to just be me and to take a moment to rest and reflect. Like, honestly, rest is so important. If you get tunnel vision and you're just constantly doing the work and you're not taking time for yourself, you will eventually, as you just said, like, lose sight of who you are. so whenever it comes to me at the end of the day, as I really try, unless something like I am expecting something really, really important to happen, I try to disconnect. so I turn off my computer at 5:30 every day. I leave my. I work from home, obviously. I leave my phone in the office. My office is my workspace. So I turn it off, I shut it down. And I really try to make time to do activities that maybe I've been wanting to try. and I haven't had the courage yet. I try to have courage in my day to day life and try something different a lot of the time. just to see how I like it. Sometimes I hate it and sometimes I don't like, and just do activities that I love to restore my heart and to restore my soul and to restore my cup. Like refill my cup at the end of the day. So, I do agility with my dog. I love doing agility. I've gotten into gardening recently. My goal is to actually grow something I can eat. I've been trying this for over a year and I have yet to be successful, but I really try. I'm pretty sure I just accidentally murdered some carrots. it was a nice thought. Apparently they need sun to grow. It was a whole thing. But, I really try to encourage others that you need to take a break, because you're gonna get burnt out. And once you're burnt out, it is so hard to reverse that, to reverse that truck and take it back. so the best way to treat burnout is by preventing it. And sometimes that means taking a step back and taking a time to yourself, whatever that is. Try something new, try something different, or just try something you know you love and get out into the world and just kind of embrace being uncomfortable sometimes. And like, I'll go to, you know, I'll try painting, I'll try candle making. I was like, I don't know what I'm doing. I tried belly dancing for a while. That was fun. I felt foolish, but like I was giggling. And it just helps you take a second to put your mind in a different mindset and to embrace just things that might make your heart full. And, then you're able to bring that fullness back to your work. And so you're able to not only be fulfilled by yourself, but fulfilled by what you do. the minute you start kind of really just focusing on that one area, you can kind of grow resentful and feel like almost like you're leashed to that area. And then it's, it's no longer something you enjoy to do, it's something you have to do. So taking time to do stuff you enjoy outside of that and just embrace your joy and embrace your rest is really important.

Bianca McCall: I love everything about what you just said. Profound, profoundly, right? Embracing being uncomfortable, practicing courage, right? So that when we do, when life starts, the life, right. I've been hearing that from the community quite a bit recently. life is lifeing. And when that happens, we go into our executive functions and we start, handling that stress, handling these crises, with the same level of courage that we've learned to apply in our lives. And so I love the idea of practicing that courage, trying new things, embracing, all of life experiences, right? Even the uncomfortable ones, as well as embracing moments of just kind of peace and joy and moments where I can breathe, right? And be that activist, right? And redirect that energy for me. Beginning of the week, I'm an activist until about Wednesday. And then I turn into an advocate. And then by the end of the week, I don't know what I am, but I love the release, the leash, right? And not be so hyper focused in just one aspect of our lives, but paying attention to all of it.


Kp, I learned some fun things about you ahead of this show

Kp, I want to, I want to kind of wrap up on a, fun fact about you that not too many people know. And I learned some fun things about you ahead of this, ahead of the show, that I think is so cool. But would you mind sharing just fun fact, something that people don't know about you and. yeah, no, I'm excited to hear this.

Speaker A: yeah. So some fun facts about me. One is, I always have. So I always have sort of a list of topics. I love talking people's ears off and have you ever asked me about that topic? Like, I'm m so excited. And it's usually really random things. It's whatever has got my brain just going at the moment. So one, I'm a huge Swiftie which is not a surprise. It's not really a fun fact. I love Taylor Swift. But, another one that I love talking about is the Hunchback in Notre Dame, then Disney's version and sort of the symbolism within that. And like, I feel like a lot of people miss the symbolism within that movie. And so I love talking about it and like, why the ending had to be the ending because of the way the symbolism was set up and all this kind of stuff. I love that I usually have those little things in my back pocket to be. Nobody wants to hear about that, but I love talking about it and I will if someone gives me an opening. I'm all for it. I also am. I love traveling. I guess that's a fun fact about me. I think my favorite place I've gone is Spain. I really hope to someday be fully fluent in Spanish and I'm nowhere near that yet. But I can hold a. I can figure out where I'm going and be able to talk to somebody to figure out what's going on. But, I think like, that's kind of the big thing is I've just. I. My fun facts is that I just. It really rotates as I go on because I don't, because my interests, tend to be pretty. it tends to be whatever I have found interesting on TikTok or something at the moment. Be like, I'm super right now into collecting Disney pins. So like, I'm. I've got so many collections and I want to go to Disneyland and like trade and all that kind of stuff because I've been seeing so much about it. So it's like I could tell you all day about Disney pins too. that's kind of like, for me that I'm happy. My fun fact is that I just try to find joy in the every little day life and like trying new things. And as someone with adhd, like, my hobby is finding new hobbies so, I enjoy new hobbies. So, and I'm always excited to talk about what my new hobby is and what that looks like. So, that's, I don't really have a super fun fact, so I'm sorry, but those were all super matter of fact.

Bianca McCall: Opening up with I'm a Swifty just got us so many more listens and.

Speaker A: Views on this podcast.

Bianca McCall: So thank you for that. Swifty Nation is going to be, you know, behind us and supporting this, every step of the way. So, so thank you, but, but no, it's, it's.


How can professionals in the harm reduction space connect with you

To me, you talk about filling your own cup, right? And we like to think that, you know, the best life is when your cup is running over, right? And that's how you're feeding and nurturing, you know, other relationships outside of yourself. And for you, when you talk about, you know, your hobbies and things like that, and you're filling your cup with so much joy, then to be around you is really a benefit, right? It's a, it's a benefit to us. It's such a high value because you're sharing, you're spreading that same joy. So thank you so much for being who you are, doing what you do in this space. And also I'd love for, I know you told us to Google you earlier, but I'd love for you to let us know, let the audience know how professionals in the harm reduction space can connect with you and what can they call you for, when can they call you, but how do they get in touch with you? Kp.

Speaker A: Yeah, so you can get in touch with me, Monday through Thursday, 7am to 5:30. So as I kind of mentioned, I try to turn things off, during hours that I'm not outside of these business hours. But, they can either reach me via email. Tends to be best. As an educator and as someone who's doing a lot of community work, I'm m. Frequently on the go. so email helps me get really, I can answer more. I can answer quickly, a little bit more fast than I would before, than if you call me because then I have to wait until I have a moment, all that kind of stuff. So, emailing me at pulver@snhd.org is one of the best ways to get in contact with me. That's pulverhd.org they can always call me, I have my work cell on me during my business hours. The number is 702-672-0042. And then of course they can connect with me at any time. if they reach out to the SNOAC. I'm the one who monitors all those emails coming. I'm like the secretary of the group. So if they even, use the contact page or anything like that, I'm the one who's reading that and will likely give you a response as well. So, definitely, those are three really great ways to just easily get in contact with me. But honestly, if someone emails me, I'll get back to them. Maybe, you know, it might take me a day or two, but I will. Usually I try to respond in between meetings or in between outreach. so that is the fastest way to get in touch.

Bianca McCall: Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you so much.


Kat says harm reduction isn't a stepping stone to someplace else

Well, is there anything else? Just kind of a lasting statement that you would love for anybody who's listened to the listening session, anybody who's listening to the podcast. But if there's a lasting statement that you just want the people to know, Kat, now's your time to tell them.

Speaker A: I would say when it comes to one thing I just want people to know and to remember is that, harm reduction isn't a stepping stone to get to someplace else. Harm reduction is its own part of the continuum of care that really needs to be recognized as its own unique part of the continuum of care. And some people may stay there their whole lives. Some people may move into recovery or treatment. but it's important that, we really meet people where they're at, and both mentally, you know, psychologically, emotionally, and not go in with the mindset. I'm going to move you along to something else because this is what I see is important. it's important that we meet people where they're at, but not leave them there, obviously give them tools, resources that they need. But, I think a lot of people think of harm reduction in that way of it's just something to get to the next step. When in reality, harm reduction is its own thing in and of itself and is important and necessary to keeping our community safe and healthy.

Bianca McCall: Yeah. thank you so much.


Southern Nevada Health District and Nevada Opioid center of Excellence contributed to podcast

Thank you again for carving out the time to talk with us on the NOCE Dose today. Gosh. And thank you for your participation in the listening session as well. We look forward to being able to continue our work to together. Between you, the Southern Nevada Health District, and the Nevada Opioid Center of Excellence.

Speaker A: Thank you, thank you.

Bianca McCall: Thank you for listening to the NOCE. The Opioid Epidemic. unplugged. We hope that you found this episode compelling and informative. And we ask that you please share this episode with your friends and your colleagues. And if you want to learn more, please visit our website at nvopioidcoe.org the NOCE Dose Podcast is brought to you by the Nevada Opioid Center of Excellence, or NOCE. NOCE is dedicated to developing and sharing evidence, informed training, and offering technical assistance to professionals and community members alike. Now, whether you are a care provider or a concerned community member, NOCE provides resources to support those affected by opioid use. Funding for this activity was made possible in whole or in part by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services DHHS Director's Office through the Fund for Resilient Nevada.

Speaker A: CASAT Podcast Network.

Bianca McCall: This.

Speaker A: Podcast has been brought to you by the CASAT Podcast Network, located within the Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies, a part of the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada, Reno. For more podcast information and resources, visit CASAT. Org.