St. John’s, Dover launches Harm Reduction Station to serve the community

St. John’s, Dover has partnered with Prevention is Key (PIK) New Jersey to install a Harm Reduction Station, expanding the congregation’s ministry of care and providing free access to lifesaving supplies for members of the community.

The station was dedicated during a gathering attended by the Rev. Canon Andrew Wright, Canon to the Ordinary and Chief of Staff of the Diocese of Newark; Dover Councilwomen Daniella Mendez and Judy Rugg; Christopher Goeke, Executive Director of PIK New Jersey; Emily Monks, PIK Harm Reduction Manager; Patrice Reilly, Director of Prevention Services for PIK; Suzanne Capps of Trinity Lutheran Church in Dover; Fran Ferrara, People’s Warden at St. John’s; Jim Losh of St. John’s; and the Rev. Rod Perez-Vega, rector of St. John’s.

Harm reduction is a proven public health approach that helps reduce overdose deaths, combats stigma, and connects people with resources that support healthier lives. The Harm Reduction Station, located in St. John’s parking lot directly in front of the parish hall, is accessible 24 hours a day and provides free access to supplies that promote safer practices and compassionate overdose response while treating every person with dignity and respect.

Using a weatherproof, internet-connected vending machine, visitors can obtain supplies at no cost by entering access codes posted on the machine. Available items include:

• Naloxone and training materials
• Harm reduction educational resources
• Fentanyl and xylazine test strips
• Safer use kits
• Safer sex kits
• Wound care supplies
• Hygiene products, including feminine hygiene items
• Cold-weather essentials such as socks and gloves

“I cannot think of a better location or a better partner to offer this lifesaving resource to our community,” said Christopher Goeke, Executive Director of PIK New Jersey.

Emily Monks, PIK’s Harm Reduction Manager, demonstrated how the station works and noted that since its installation on July 6, it has been used every day, underscoring the community’s need for these resources.

Councilwomen Mendez and Rugg thanked PIK New Jersey for partnering with St. John’s and expressed their appreciation for the congregation’s longstanding commitment to serving the people of Dover.

For the Rev. Rod Perez-Vega, the partnership reflects St. John’s mission as a community of faith. He said that when church leaders learned that the principles of harm reduction include dignity, respect, and bodily autonomy, they immediately recognized their connection to the promises made in the Baptismal Covenant to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”

“That made this decision a no-brainer,” Perez-Vega said. “This isn’t about St. John’s having a Harm Reduction Station. It’s about all of us working together to make this lifesaving resource available to anyone who needs it. Only by partnering together can this program truly succeed.”

The dedication concluded with prayers of thanksgiving and a blessing offered by the Rev. Canon Andrew Wright.