Radical Acceptance Project

With Europe seeing record breaking heat that is reportedly causing extra deaths and our own upcoming heat wave expected, I feel like it is incredibly important to talk about heat related illness.
Heat-related illness can happen to anyone—not just people working outside. It can affect children, older adults, people with chronic health conditions, people using certain medications or substances, athletes, and anyone spending time in the heat.

Know the warning signs:

Heat exhaustion 🥵

* Heavy sweating
* Cool, pale, clammy skin
* Dizziness or fainting
* Nausea or vomiting
* Headache
* Muscle cramps
* Weakness or extreme fatigue

To treat heat exhaustion the person should move to a cool place, loosen clothing, sip cool water if the person is awake and alert, and use cool, wet cloths or a fan. If symptoms don’t improve or worsen, seek medical care.

❗️ Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Call 911 immediately. ❗️
Signs include:

* Body temperature of 103°F or higher
* Confusion, unusual behavior, or difficulty speaking
* Loss of consciousness
* Seizures
* Hot skin (which may be dry or still sweaty)

While waiting for help, move the person to a cooler area and cool them with water, ice packs, or wet towels. Do not force them to drink if they are confused or unconscious.

💧 Prevention is always easier than treatment:
• Drink water regularly—even before you feel thirsty.
• Take frequent breaks in the shade or air conditioning.
• Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing.
• Avoid strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day (typically between 3-5pm) when possible.
• Never leave children, pets, or yourself in a parked vehicle.
• Check in on neighbors, friends, and family who may be more vulnerable.
• If you’re taking medications or using substances that can affect hydration or body temperature, be extra cautious in the heat.

Heat safety is harm reduction. Stay safe out there this summer! 🩵 (oh, and don't forget to protect your skin)

Please be safe

I think over the winter it was easy for me to forget that my best work has not been done inside of a brick and mortar location.
While I've loved being able to provide that resource; my favorite part of this work comes in the quiet moments no one sees except for me and the other person involved.
For me, this work is most fulfilling when I get to connect with the people I'm helping.
It's having an extra bag in my car and seeing a man carrying a garbage bag full of stuff only to find out he's living unhoused as a blind man. It's giving my camping sleep mat to someone who is sleeping in a parking lot and needs it way more than I do. It's sitting with someone for an hour listening to their story when really I should be doing the work that pays my bills. It's watching someone cry and say "thank you" because I told them that I just wanted to help regardless of what their story is after they've been getting yelled at all day by passerby's who think they should just get a job. It's having someone tell me "it's because of you that I now carry naloxone with me everywhere I go".
I was reminded today.

As I move into this transition where my program is more up in the air then I'd like for it to be, please remember that it is important for our community to care for each other and you don't need a lot to make a difference, sometimes all people need is a little bit of your time or some things you already have laying around and don't use 🩵

This is your last chance to get any Naloxone (Nasal or intermuscular), Plan B, pregnancy tests, condoms, sanitary items, and hygiene needs from Totalus! Only 2 more weeks before they close. I will have the products at my home for a short time after that and can set up pick up or drop off within a reasonable distance for you! After that, I am looking for somewhere to donate these products and anything left over will be stored at a friend's house in Pittsburgh.
Please contact me at [email protected] for any of your needs!

It is with a heavy heart that we announce that we will not be looking for a new location to move to after Totalus closes their doors, which is now looking like will be at the end of May.
Get in there or make your orders from doordash for your harm reduction needs while you still can! Once they're gone they will not be restocked and anything remaining will be stored away while I take a break.
Thank you to everyone that has supported my mission thus far. I was able to build so much so quickly and get supplies into the hands of a lot of people, I'm very proud of that. This decision wasn't easy to make, but right now the need outweighs my capacity to carry it and it's important that I recognize that so I'm able to come back in the future as a stronger program, should shifting policies and things like funding restrictions on harm reduction not make that impossible before I'm ready to return.
Thank you all again, please continue to care for each other. This is not goodbye, it's just see you later 🩵