See also: Syringe Exchange: New Law Allowing Participants to Carry Needles Doesn't Always Work
"We're very excited," says the center's executive director, Lisa Raville. "It's a storefront and in an area that definitely needs our services, and we want to be supportive to that area. Harm reduction is good old public health."
The center's last day at its current location, 733 Santa Fe Drive, will be Friday, October 31. The first day at the new location, which is across the street from the state Capitol, will be Monday, November 3. "We won't have a blip in services," Raville says.
The new location is much bigger -- 1,400 square feet as opposed to 650 square feet -- and has two bathrooms, which Raville says is a plus. Syringe exchange participants can expect the same exchange hours as before: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
"We are very good neighbors," Raville says. "We had no problems on the (Santa Fe) Arts District, and we don't expect to have any problems on Colfax. Our folks know our place is a safe place and they do everything to protect it."
The Harm Reduction Action Center won a 2014 Best of Denver Award: Best Hope for IV Drug Users. Syringe exchange has been legal in Colorado since 2010.
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