A Community of Hope and Healing in a Dark Time

Check out Dr. Gordon’s most recent conversation, “A Community of Hope and Healing in a Dark Time” with Joe Turner.
Joe is the co-founder and current CEO of Exponents, a 30-year-old community based human services and harm reduction program in NYC that is dear to my heart. Exponents provides compassionate and person-centered drug treatment, recovery and wellness services to the most vulnerable New Yorkers, including women and men of color who are struggling with HIV, poverty, and historical inequities as well as histories of addiction and incarceration.
They discussed how Exponents creates a welcoming, community of hope, and is continuing to reach out to and include those who are most in need and most discriminated against, including transgender people of color. Joe also explored how Exponents has adapted its in-person, community-centered model to meet the COVID crisis, retaining over 95% of its program participants throughout the pandemic.
Black History Month provided the context for Joe discussing the inequities which have led to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 and fentanyl fatalities on communities of color and how he and the Exponents team are creating a model of harm reduction which cries out for widespread replication. We concluded with Joe describing how he and Exponents are continually advocating for social justice, and equity in services and opportunity.
Learn more about Joe's organization at exponents.org.