Current Fellows
Addiction & Overdose

Alyssa Kitlas

Bloomberg Fellow

Alyssa Kitlas is the Community Overdose Prevention Coordinator for the North Carolina Division of Public Health’s Injury and Violence Prevention Branch. Alyssa leads the North Carolina Safer Syringe Initiative, supports North Carolina’s registered syringe services programs and coordinates technical assistance provided to community-based organizations and local health departments related to overdose prevention and harm reduction.  Alyssa also convenes the Opioid Action Plan Syringe Services Programs’ Advisory Group, a group of individuals with lived experience with drug use and/or who work at syringe services programs in North Carolina that informs the priorities of the Division. Alyssa is passionate about working to end stigma towards people who use drugs, integrating trauma informed care into our response to the overdose crisis, and centering the voices of people with lived experience.

The North Carolina (NC) Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (IVPB) works to prevent injury and violence within the state by collecting and analyzing data to understand the scope of the problem, implementing programs to prevent injuries and violence, and coordinating the work happening across the state. As a branch within the NC Division of Public Health, the IVPB’s ultimate goal is to promote and contribute to the highest level of health for the people of NC. The Overdose Prevention Team oversees the implementation of the North Carolina Safer Syringe Initiative, funds local health departments and other partners to implement overdose prevention strategies within their communities, and provides technical assistance to a variety of community-based organizations. Centering lived experience is essential in IVPB’s response to the overdose crisis.

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