Subutex is the less widely used of two buprenorphine formulations available to opiate pharmacotherapy consumers in Victoria, (Suboxone being the other). Subutex is a mono-formulation of buprenorphine available in 0.4, 2 & 8mg sub-lingual tablets. It was the first buprenorphine product to become available in Victoria, but has been largely superseded by Suboxone (a buprenorphine/naloxone formulation.) The presence of the opiate antagonist naloxone in Suboxone makes it less attractive than Subutex to clients who may wish to divert their dose with intention of injecting it. Because of the harms associated with this practice, doctors are less willing to prescribe Subutex and take away doses are only available in a handful of circumstances. Subutex tablets are placed beneath the tongue, where they are absorbed directly into the blood-stream through the mucous membrane. Clients on low doses sometimes find Subutex preferable because the 0.4mg tablet can allow for more accurate dosing. Basic Pharmacology of Buprenorphine Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist. It binds strongly to the same receptors as other opiates, but stimulates them only weakly, producing very little of an opiate effect. Once the buprenorphine molecule is locked onto the receptor, it remains there much longer than other opiates like heroin and methadone. If such drugs are taken while on buprenorphine, their effects will be much reduced. Buprenorphine’s affinity for the receptor is powerful enough to displace opiates like heroin and methadone. For this reason, the initial dose of buprenorphine should be low (i.e. < 8mg) and, ideally, the client should be in the first stages of opioid withdrawal. If a dependent client takes a large dose of buprenorphine after recent use of heroin – or before the onset of withdrawal – the buprenorphine can precipitate immediate and full withdrawal. This is an extremely unpleasant, uncomfortable experience to be avoided at all cost. The Ceiling Effect An interesting feature of buprenorphine is its ceiling effect. Up to a certain point, the more buprenorphine that is taken, the greater the opiate effect. Past that point, increasing the dose only results in a longer duration of action and no increased opiate effect. This means that some people can have their daily dose increased (usually doubled) and the dose will last for two days instead of one. This can be very useful for those who have difficulty reaching their dosing points, and can remove the need for take aways during the first month of treatment. Though scientific evidence is scant, this ceiling effect presumably varies with the individual. The maximum allowable dose of buprenorphine is 32mg. Injecting Subutex If another opiate – like heroin, methadone or oxycodone – is present in the system when Subutex is injected, precipitated withdrawal may result, as the opioid will be rapidly displaced from opiate receptors by the buprenorphine. Injecting Subutex carries serious health risks and is not recommended. If the medication is removed from the mouth prior to injection, these risks are compounded. For more information about the harms associated with injecting Subutex, please contact PAMS. Take Away Doses of Subutex There are no routine take away doses of Subutex, unless the consumer is: Pregnant and/or breast-feeding Has a documented allergy to the naloxone (present in Suboxone). Is on a dose of <2mg (this because a 0.4mg tablet of buprenorphine is available, but not in the combined buprenorphine-naloxone (Suboxone) formulation. If a person meets any of the above criteria, take away doses may be provided if the prescriber assesses the client as being stable and there are no other issues of concern. If you have any questions or want to discuss your individual situation, please contact PAMS PH: 1800 443 844.

Bayside The Bayside areas covers Albert Park to Mordialloc to Clayton, Malvern to Toorak. This list consists of the clinic names and their locations. If you click on their address you will open the google maps page for that location. To book at any of these locations, you will still need to call 1800 675 398 or through the online booking system (you need an email address to sign up) unless it states otherwise. Access Health 31 Grey Street, St Kilda Walk-in covid vaccine clinic Friday 1st October 2pm –4pm Friday 8th October 2pm-5pm Friday 15th October 2pm-5pm Prahran Townhall Book your COVID-19 vaccination on the Star Health website. Malvern Town Hall, 1251 High Street, Malvern Opening hours – Monday to Thursday, 9:00am to 4:00pm Priority client cohorts - individual and group bookings can be arranged by our internal COVID Helpline on 8644 3311 Walk in appointments for priority clients and VCE students. Sacred Heart Mission 87 Grey Street St Kilda: Vaccine clinic: every Tuesday and Thursday 9.30am- 2pm Port Melbourne Town Hall 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne Opening hours – Monday to Thursday, 9:00am to 4:00pm Priority individual and group bookings can be arranged by our internal COVID Helpline on 8644 3311 Walk in appointments for priority clients and VCE students. More Coming Soon Stay tuned for more locations. FIND A PHARMACY BAYSIDE

By people who use drugs for people who use drugs. Shared by community these are helpful tips and tricks to make your existing drug use harm free and happier. Drug Hacks Service Name This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start editing the content and make sure to add any relevant details or information that you want to share with your visitors. Service Name This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start editing the content and make sure to add any relevant details or information that you want to share with your visitors. Service Name This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start editing the content and make sure to add any relevant details or information that you want to share with your visitors. Service Name This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start editing the content and make sure to add any relevant details or information that you want to share with your visitors. Service Name This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start editing the content and make sure to add any relevant details or information that you want to share with your visitors. Service Name This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start editing the content and make sure to add any relevant details or information that you want to share with your visitors. Share your hacks with others Like what you see? Get in touch to learn more. First Name Last Name Email Message Send Thanks for submitting!

Inner East and East The Inner East and East areas cover all suburbs from Kew to Chirnside Park, out to Eltham to Warburton and back to Ferntree Gully and back to Caulfield. This list consists of the clinic names and their locations. If you click on their address you will open the google maps page for that location. To book at any of these locations, you will still need to call 1800 675 398 or through the online booking system (you need an email address to sign up) unless it states otherwise. EACH (Eastern Access Community Health) 47 Patterson Street, Ringwood East EACH (Eastern Access Community Health) & Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place to host pop-up COVID Vaccination Clinics for members of Indigenous communities in the outer east of Melbourne. Note: only the Pfizer vaccine is available Clinic dates: Thursday 14th October (1st dose) and Thursday 11th November 2021 (2nd dose) 10AM to 4PM at 47 Patterson Street, Ringwood East By appointment only Register at https://forms.gle/AVGnzvj9UFotzeaQ9 Free taxi services are available, please call the Coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398 COMING SOON Stay tuned for more locations. COMING SOON Stay tuned for more locations. COMING SOON Stay tuned for more locations. COMING SOON Stay tuned for more locations. COMING SOON Stay tuned for more locations. FIND A PHARMACY INNER EAST & EAST

GP & Prescriber LINKS and Forms POLICIES & APPLICATIONS The Department of Health and Human Services has provided a number of additional resources to complement the revised policy. Pharmacotherapy providers are encouraged to use these resources when prescribing or dispensing to people on opioid replacement therapy. All are available from the Downloads section on the Health.Vic website . Some resources are also available in a number of community languages* Pharmacotherapy Policy 2016 Policy for Issuing Schedule 8 Permits Application for Approval as a Prescriber of Pharmacotherapy Notification Of A Drug Dependent Person NATIONAL CLINICAL GUIDELINES (To be used in conjunction with Victorian Policy) NCG for Methadone NCG for Buprenorphine NCG for Use for Naltrexone

Contact Harm Reduction Victoria for more info on becoming a member, booking or sponsoring supplies to DanceWize or to book a workshop or training session contact us on info@hrvic.org.au Become a member of Harm Reduction Victoria today! HRVic is a uniquely peer driven, peer run and peer governed community organisation for people who use drugs. Harm Reduction Victoria Inc . ABN: 46 114 268 362 Street Address 299-305 Victoria Street Brunswick VIC 3056 Postal Address PO Box 87 Brunswick VIC 3056 Phone: (03) 9329 1500 Email: info@hrvic.org.au

Feedback or Complaints As your community based organisation, HRVic welcome any feedback, comment and/or complaint. We want to know what we've got right and also when we've missed the mark. Help us to be the best organisation we can be. First Name (optional) Last Name (optional) Email (optional) Feedback and Comments Do you want a response from HRVic? * Required Yes please! I want answers! No. I just needed to vent. Send Thanks for your feedback!

Getting On, Getting Older (GoGo) is a new project in development: Targeting the health and social needs of us oldies who inject/use drugs – now and into the future. GOGO Project The Getting On - Getting Older Our Story Harm Reduction Victoria is pleased to introduce you to 'GoGo'. Getting On, Getting Older (GoGo) is a new project in development: Targeting the health and social needs of us oldies who inject/use drugs – now and into the future. GoGo is where the elders of our community can gather to discuss our needs as older people who use drugs and more importantly, to communicate those needs in ways that effect change that has to happen to be sure we are all looked after appropriately as we get older. Are you 50 years young or over and use substances? Fill out this anonymous survey now or Do you work with people Over 50 who use drugs? Fill out this survey now What are you experiencing as an older person who uses drugs? What are your concerns for your future? How can services work with older drug users to maintain a certain standard or to improve their quality of care? If you consider yourself an ‘older’ drug user, we want your input. We want to know what YOU want. We want to know what YOU need or know what you think you WILL need as an older person who uses drugs- who is getting older. Service User Survey (client) Service Provider Survey (worker) "Services for 'ageing drug users' simply do not exist. Why? -because until recently, we didn't get older. It's about figuring out what we need and want and then creating those services for ourselves and ensuring they're available in the future- for all people who enjoy substances" - Sam "I want to be taken seriously when I say I feel pain..and I want to be treated for that pain. I had to take and give my dying friend illicit drugs because their pain was not being managed appropriately while in palliative care-it was devastating." - Anonymous "I want to go to the doctor to and have my health issues and pain taken seriously- not just assume it's the result of my using." - Anonymous Let's Talk About it: Interested in being contacted to be part of the GoGo consultation? Click here to go directly to survey or contact us by filling out this form: > First Name Last Name Email Message Thanks for submitting! Send

Book DanceWize peer 2 peer event care services for your single day or multi day event or festival today. We work alongside other emergency event crew to care for our community on site providing peer led drug education and harm reduction services and care. BOOKING FORM What/Who is DanceWIze? DanceWize is Australia's original, by peer for peer run party-centric harm reduction service. We deliver peer 2 peer substance specific care and support services for music events and festivals across Victoria. Starting as a grassroots Victorian group known as RaveSafe, DanceWize has been a program of Harm Reduction Victoria (HRVic) since 1999 and is partially funded by the Victorian Department of Health (DoH). So successful is the DanceWize model that peer run drug user organisations across Australia have trialled and adopted the model. In 2017, NUAA started and administered it's own spin off-DanceWize NSW. HRVic is part of a national network of peer based drug user orgs which are able to support the emergence of similar programs in other parts of the country too. This network promotes health rights, human rights and harm reduction. Are you having an event or require another DanceWize service? The DanceWize program model utilises peer-based support to deliver education, provide resources and referrals about safer drug use, harm reduction related health and wellbeing issues at music events and festivals. Our team members have appropriate training and living/ lived-experience to care for intoxicated persons or people who need other support in event and festival settings. Our Team Leads and Key Peer Educators and carers (KPEs) undergo a range of training including First Aid (HLTFA003), but we do not operate as a First Aid provider, as this is not the program’s objective. We work as part of an event's Health Emergency Management Plan (HEMP) alongside health providers and other on-site services. The efficacy of this peer-based program model is evidence-based and in 2016 HRVic’s DanceWize won the Minister of Health’s award for Outstanding Achievement by Volunteers Supporting Diversity. Our Services 01 Brief Interventions & Peer Education The DW Brief Interventions generally take place at the front of house of the DW Chill Space. consist of peer to peer support to deliver non judgemental, up to date, real information around substances and safer using education, provide resources and referrals around safer drug use, and related health and wellbeing issues at music events and festivals. Partygoers and event staff can access extensive substance information, free health and safer using education, peer support, relevant referrals, harm reduction and health supplies. See our Resources List for a comprehensive overview. 03 Mobile Interventions & Roving This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to edit the content and make sure to add any relevant information that you want to share with your visitors. 05 Service Name This is a Paragraph. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to edit the content and make sure to add any relevant information that you want to share with your visitors. 02 Care Interventions & Chill Space The DW Chill Space located in close proximity to the on-site medical where trained KPEs provide support for intoxicated persons experiencing distress, provide a safe space for victims of sexual assault/harassment, and deliver an integrated reciprocal referral model for care with the onsite medical/first aid provider. All patrons are assessed and managed in accordance with strict protocols and in collaboration with the on-site medical team. See our Triage and Care Protocols for further information. 04 Gender Based Violence & Mental Health Service Provision of a separate safe space behind the DanceWize Chill Space Provision of qualified counsellors who work collaboratively with EMT’s to manage risk of wider festival safety Temporary accommodation options Resources, and expert counselling and advocacy support provided to people in care Ability to engage with local CASA, to assess their ability to be present onsite with a resource table as part of DanceWize GBV Service Ability for counsellors to provide secondary consultation and debriefing to all event staff and volunteers who may have witnessed GBV or have been a first responder Ability for counsellors to respond to other festival incidents at request of EMT Provision of active bystander rovers, who role model bystander intervention and provide education about consent *Please Note: Completing this request does not mean that you have booked DanceWize for your event. An HRVic staff member/DanceWize Coordinator will reply to you ASAP to confirm receipt of your request & discuss your needs further. The demand for the DanceWize team is Very high. We are booked 6-12months in advance. We appreciate that sometimes "stuff happens" and things are overlooked when planning events and we will do our best to fit in last minute requests but are very, VERY limited to what we can take on at short notice. Please keep this in mind. DanceWize is an unfunded program run by Harm Reduction Victoria. If you wish to possibly enhance our capacity to take more bookings, please feel free to donate. ;-)

2024-2025 Annual Report Harm Reduction Victoria's Annual Report for the financial year 2024-2025 is now available to view our Annual Report as a reel. NOTE* Please PAUSE the page if you want to spend longer on it. otherwise it will keep playing. Read Here 2023-2024 Annual Report Harm Reduction Victoria's Annual Report has landed. Read below by clicking link. Printed Annual Reports will be sent to members who request one at info@hrvic.org.au AR 23-24 Website Download PDF HERE 2022-2023 Annual Report 2022-23 Annual Report HERE Download 2022-2023 Report PDF form 2022-23 Financial Report (pdf) 2021-2022 Annual Report Read 2021-2022 Report 2020-2021 Annual Report Read 2020-2021 Report Annual Reports-from 2014-2021. (Click on cover image to open PDF.) Our Annual Reports from 2014-2021 are a small sample of our impressive growth and the resilience of our community. Our reports provide detailed insight into our achievements and progress over the years.

IT'S AGM TIME! 2025 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Harm Reduction Victoria invites it's members: Wednesday, the 10th of December at 3-5pm at Harm Reduction Victoria’s office at: 299-305 Victoria Street, Brunswick VIC 3056. We are also able to offer online access to the AGM via Teams. If a vote is needed for Board positions, we will arrange a process and let online attendees know on the day. We are a community, peer organisation and as such it is important that all members get a chance to be involved in our future, so please do join us if you can. One of the purposes of the AGM is to elect our Board. As a member, you can vote in Board elections. You can also nominate to join the Board. *IMPORTANT: Nominations for the Board must be made on the attached form and posted or emailed to the CEO. These need to arrive before midnight on Wednesday, 3rd of December 2025. If you are thinking about nominating to join the Board, HRVic asks that you meet with the CEO and a member of the Board Executive before submitting your nomination form. It's not an interview or interrogation and isnt as scary as it sounds - This is just to let you know what being on the Board is like and what is expected of Board members. Please get in touch with Snowy on admin@hrvic.org.au to arrange a time before this date. If you are unable to attend at all you may wish to vote by proxy which means getting someone who is attending to vote on your behalf. An “Appointment of Proxy” form is also attached with clear instructions on its use. Please call the office and ask if you have any questions & we look forward to seeing all of you in a few weeks. AGM Minutes 2024 (link to view 2024 HRVic AGM Minutes is below) If you attended in 2024, please check them over as we will need to approve them during this meeting. 2025 AGM Forms Download or Print your own AGM 2025 forms below. INVITE AGENDA HOW TO VOTE FORM & PROXY INFO MINUTES 2024 AGM 2023-24 ANNUAL REPORT ABOUT NOMINATING NOMINATION FORM