Mobilizing Harm Reduction: Evaluating New Jersey’s Mobile Harm Reduction Centers Through a Global Public Health Lens
1
School of Public and International Affairs; Center for Health and Wellbeing, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
2
Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
In response to more than a decade of rising overdose mortality, the state of New Jersey (NJ), USA, has become a leader in harm reduction innovation. Between 2022 and 2024, the number of state-authorized harm reduction centers expanded from seven to 53, alongside a rapid rollout of mobile units now operating in around 100 locations statewide. During this period, overdose deaths declined across all demographic groups for the first time in ten years. Yet, little is known about how these mobile centers are designed, implemented, or experienced by clients and providers. Understanding these processes has global significance as countries across diverse settings explore mobile and community-based harm reduction models to overcome geographic and structural barriers to care and harm reduction provision.
METHODS:
This mixed-methods project evaluates the design, delivery, and perceived impacts of NJ’s mobile harm reduction centers. The study includes: (1) a systematic review synthesizing global evidence on mobile harm reduction interventions; (2) a statewide client survey examining service models, reach, and outcomes; and (3) rapid ethnography at three high-volume sites. Data will be analyzed through the intersectional risk environment framework to assess how mobile centers mitigate structural inequities in service access. Results (anticipated) Findings from the systematic review and client survey, expected by March 2026, will identify key implementation models, challenges, and contextual factors linked to improved access and health outcomes across diverse populations and policy environments.
CONCLUSIONS:
By situating NJ’s rapid mobile harm reduction expansion within the global evidence base, this study will offer insights into how mobile services can reduce geographic, racial, and structural barriers to care. The findings will inform harm reduction policy design in the US and globally, with particular relevance for low-resource and rural contexts seeking to expand equitable, community-based harm reduction services.
In response to more than a decade of rising overdose mortality, the state of New Jersey (NJ), USA, has become a leader in harm reduction innovation. Between 2022 and 2024, the number of state-authorized harm reduction centers expanded from seven to 53, alongside a rapid rollout of mobile units now operating in around 100 locations statewide. During this period, overdose deaths declined across all demographic groups for the first time in ten years. Yet, little is known about how these mobile centers are designed, implemented, or experienced by clients and providers. Understanding these processes has global significance as countries across diverse settings explore mobile and community-based harm reduction models to overcome geographic and structural barriers to care and harm reduction provision.
METHODS:
This mixed-methods project evaluates the design, delivery, and perceived impacts of NJ’s mobile harm reduction centers. The study includes: (1) a systematic review synthesizing global evidence on mobile harm reduction interventions; (2) a statewide client survey examining service models, reach, and outcomes; and (3) rapid ethnography at three high-volume sites. Data will be analyzed through the intersectional risk environment framework to assess how mobile centers mitigate structural inequities in service access. Results (anticipated) Findings from the systematic review and client survey, expected by March 2026, will identify key implementation models, challenges, and contextual factors linked to improved access and health outcomes across diverse populations and policy environments.
CONCLUSIONS:
By situating NJ’s rapid mobile harm reduction expansion within the global evidence base, this study will offer insights into how mobile services can reduce geographic, racial, and structural barriers to care. The findings will inform harm reduction policy design in the US and globally, with particular relevance for low-resource and rural contexts seeking to expand equitable, community-based harm reduction services.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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