Get to Know Aron Thiim

In 2023, Massachusetts recorded 2,125 confirmed opioid-related overdose deaths. Bloomberg Fellow Aron Thiim and his team at the Justice Resource Institute’s (JRI) Health Division are on the front lines of this epidemic.

Based in Framingham— a small city nestled between Boston and Worcester—Thiim and his team face a unique set of challenges. JRI is the only harm reduction service provider in the area, serving a region marked by stark economic disparities. Although Framingham is surrounded by some of the wealthiest towns in the state, access to care remains deeply unequal.

Motivated by a deep commitment to improve health equity and access to care, Thiim joined JRI five years ago to expand infectious disease prevention and treatment services for communities that are often overlooked: sexual and gender minorities, immigrants, and people experiencing housing instability.

Today, as a program manager at JRI, Thiim works to bridge the gap between public support for harm reduction and the barriers that often arise when these services are proposed in more affluent neighborhoods. “There’s a growing understanding of harm reduction in theory,” he explains. “But when it comes to implementation—when it’s in your own backyard—there’s still a lot of resistance.”

To navigate this tension, Thiim and his team launched a mobile health van that functions as both a clinic and community outreach hub. Outfitted with two consult rooms, an exam table, a phlebotomy chair, and a medication fridge, the van provides nearly all the services available at JRI’s main office. It also travels alongside the street outreach team, allowing staff to meet people where they are and offer testing, care, and comprehensive services on the spot.

While Thiim and his colleagues have built strong systems to support marginalized groups, he emphasizes that meaningful change requires bold action from those in power. “Justice demands courage, not hesitation,” he says. “The communities I serve are under attack, their fundamental rights threatened, and if we remain silent, we send a devastating message about who we believe is worth protecting.” 

As a Bloomberg Fellow, Thiim has deepened his connections with harm reduction leaders across the country and found renewed inspiration to continue this critical work. Equipped with new tools, a national network, and unwavering resolve, he remains focused on expanding access to care—and teaching people about evidence-based solutions proven to improve outcomes of those impacted by the overdose crisis.