In their third KBRP appearance, Executive Director Lu Funk described Cochise Harm Reduction’s mobile outreach as “really simple — we’re trying to reduce the harm in people’s lives,” focusing especially on drug use and housing instability in hard‑to‑reach rural areas. Responding to Mike Thornton’s point that “you can’t do any of that stuff if you’re dead,” Lu explained, “At Cochise Harm Reduction, we define harm reduction as any positive change in someone’s life… it’s not about us, it’s about that individual’s goals.” They unpacked local realities of fentanyl and meth use, the dangers of an unregulated “unsafe supply,” and why safe supply sites make sense: “People think safe supply for illicit drugs is crazy — no, that’s what a bar is… during prohibition, alcohol was really dangerous because it wasn’t regulated.”
Lu also announced that Cochise Harm Reduction had secured a permanent headquarters and would soon open a small brick‑and‑mortar resource center in Old Bisbee to bring peer support services — currently unavailable locally — into a fixed, accessible space. They contrasted the harm reduction peer model with the medical model, stressing, “I don’t know what you need… you let me know what you need and I will support you on your journey.” The discussion ranged from stigma (“it’s not the drugs that are killing people, it’s stigma”), to class and poverty as root causes, to Lu’s vision of expanding care to unhoused animals. Emphasizing community abundance over scarcity, they invited support through donations, volunteerism, and engagement: “We wouldn’t be where we’re at today if it wasn’t for the community of Bisbee… I’m just blown away by the support we’ve received.”
Original Air Date: January 19th, 2024