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A national advocacy and capacity-building organization that promotes the health and dignity of individuals and communities impacted by drug use.

Stop the Drug War (DRCNet) is an international organization working for an end to drug prohibition worldwide and for interim policy reform in US drug laws and criminal justice system. Read more about DRCNet.

Imani P. Woods Bio Page

Drug User Links

Needle Exchange

North American Syringe Exchange Network's needle exchange program site list.

www.nasen.org

Lead Trainer

An urban practitioner, Imani P. Woods is Lead Trainer and Principle of Progressive Solutions in Seattle Washington.

Regarded as a “self-taught scholar”, Ms. Woods pursed a degree from Brooklyn College and the City University of New York. Imani has also taken graduate courses in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington.

Imani Woods was recruited by the Center for Health Promotion of Group Health Cooperative in 1989 to serve as the Coordinator for a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) research project. One year later, she founded Street Outreach Services, a community-based program specializing in HIV/AIDS prevention for substance use communities.

Ms. Woods served as a Continuing Education Specialist at the University of Washington Northwest AIDS Education and Training Center until June 1998.

A New York native, Imani developed an outreach program for a citywide Mayor's Initiative to reduce the infant mortality rate among pregnant addicts in Brooklyn. A powerful and innovative presence during an eight-year tenure with New York’s Human Resources Administration (HRA), Ms. Woods developed advocated for and implemented chemical dependency programs within the women’s shelter system. Ms. Woods also served as an advocate for people with AIDS, at a time when little was known about HIV and ignorance prevailed among shelter personnel.

Imani P. Woods is nationally recognized for her work with drug users. Her commentaries on the issues of race, class and injustice have appeared in national publications such as Vibe magazine and the National Journal. In 1998, the National HIV/AIDS Black Leadership Educational Forum honored Imani with the Unsung Hero Award for her service to drug using women.

Imani has served as a consultant to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

A past recipient of the Nordstrom Diversity Award, Ms. Woods is a passionate speaker and advocate of social justice.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES

Continuing Education Specialist, University of Washington, Center for Health Education and Research, August 1990 - Present

Instructor, Seattle Central Community College, Health and Human Services Department, January 1992 - Present

Executive Director, Street Outreach Services, Seattle, WA, March 1991 - September 1995

Program Coordinator, KING County Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Service Center, North Rehabilitation Facility

Project Coordinator, Group Health Cooperative, Center for Health Promotion, NIDA Project Catch On! Seattle, WA, November 1989 - February 1992

Assistant Superintendent of Welfare Shelters, Human Resources Administration, Family and Adult Services, New York, NY, January 1987 - November 1989

Community Liaison Worker, Health and Hospitals Cooperation, New York, NY, July 1985- January 1987

Community Liaison Worker/Supervisor/Eligibility Specialist, Human Resources Administration Family Adult Services, January 1983 - July 1985

PUBLICATIONS

Woods, Imani. "More than Just Say No: Coping with Drug Abuse." Pgs 84-85. Body and Soul. Villarose, Linda, Editor. Harper Collins, 1994.

Woods, Imani and Downer, Ann. "Community Fairs as an HIV/AIDS Education Strategy for Indigent Populations." Ninth International Conference on AIDS. Berlin, Germany, 1993.

Woods, Imani. "Harm Reduction in Black Communities in the United States." Sixth International Conference on Drug Related Harm. Florence, Italy.1995.

Woods, Imani. "Community Organizing: Reality Based Development & Implementation of a Harm Reduction Philosophy in Black Communities in the United States." Eighth International Conference on Drug Related Harm. Paris France,March-1997

Woods, Imani, et al. "Conference Report: Community Based Health Promotion-State of the Art and Recommendations for the Future." Pgs 240-243 American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 13, Number 4, 1997. Woods, Imani. "Bringing Harm Reduction to the Black Community" Chapter 8, Harm Reduction. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D., Editor, Guilford Press, 1998. (download chapter in PDF)

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917-597-4329