250 & Beyond | Breaking Stigma Is Hard. But It's Worth It | Catherine Hicks

250 & Beyond | Breaking Stigma Is Hard. But It's Worth It | Catherine Hicks

From AmeriCorps Connections by Nicki Fiocco

April 25, 2026 · 16 min · Episode 109

About this episode

Catherine Hicks shares her transformative AmeriCorps experience and the impact of her work in harm reduction.

Catherine Hicks came into her AmeriCorps year with 30 years of tech behind her, a master's in public health ahead of her, and a personal connection to the work that made everything matter more. A fresh alum at the time of recording, Catherine served with the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse in the Bay Area — a harm reduction organization doing life-saving work distributing Naloxone and fentanyl test strips to communities facing the overdose crisis. She brought her tech background to modernize the organization's website and expand its reach, translating it into multiple languages so more people could access resources. But the moment that defined her year? Hearing back that a friend used the Naloxone training she provided — and someone came home because of it. Catherine's story is about showing up even when you keep hearing "no." It's about finding out that your lived experience isn't a liability — it's your greatest asset. And it's about the quiet, radical act of seeing every person as human. "We need to find the humanity in all people — not just people like us." — Catherine Hicks #StillGettingThingsDone _______________________________________ 🤝 This episode is…

People in this episode

Host: Nicki Fiocco

Guest: Catherine Hicks

Topics covered

  • harm reduction
  • overdose crisis
  • personal experience
  • community service
  • technology in public health

Keywords

  • AmeriCorps
  • Naloxone
  • fentanyl test strips
  • public health
  • community resources

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse, 250&Beyond, The National Museum and Center for Service, Independent Sector

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