AI-powered harm reduction support

You don't have to
figure this out alone.

Listening. Guiding. Connecting to care.

EchoCare is a compassionate digital companion for people who use drugs — offering judgment-free support, evidence-based harm reduction guidance, and real connections to life-saving resources, day or night.

Free
Always, no account
Anon.
No identifiers stored
24/7
Available anytime
Echo
● private · not stored
How EchoCare helps

Five ways to feel less alone

Every feature is designed around one question: what does someone actually need in the moment they reach out?

Why trust matters here

Privacy isn't a feature. It's the foundation.

Anonymous by default
No account, no identifiers stored. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere beyond this browser tab.
Community-engaged design
Grounded in collaboration with harm reduction workers, researchers, and people with lived experience — not built from the outside in.
Never a replacement for people
Echo always keeps a door open to real peer navigators, counselors, and crisis lines — AI supports, it doesn't substitute.
Chat with Echo

A conversation, not a form.

Talk about what's going on, ask about staying safer, or find resources — nothing here is stored or judged.

Echo
● private · not stored
Find resources
Using later, want to be safer
Feeling ashamed
Talk to a person
Resource Finder

Find support near you

Free, confidential, and usually no ID required. Search by ZIP code, or use the numbers below anywhere.

Available anywhere, right now
SAMHSA National Helpline Real
Free, confidential, 24/7 treatment referral & information service.
1-800-662-4357 · findtreatment.gov
Never Use Alone Real
Call before you use — someone stays on the line and calls for help if you stop responding.
1-800-484-3731
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Real
Free, confidential emotional support, 24/7.
Call or text 988
NEXT Distro Real
Mail-order naloxone and fentanyl test strips, no cost, most U.S. states.
nextdistro.org
NASEN Directory Real
National directory of syringe service programs by location.
nasen.org
SAMHSA Peer Support Real
Ask the National Helpline to connect you with peer recovery support in your state.
1-800-662-4357
Harm Reduction Tips

Practical, evidence-based, no judgment

Information to help you make lower-risk choices — written the way a peer would explain it, not a pamphlet.

Safe-Use Mode

Real-time overdose detection & emergency response

Simulated — no wearable connected

When activated, this would connect to a wearable that tracks vital signs during use. If it detects signs like a dangerously low heart rate, EchoCare would alert EMS and a designated contact. Everything below is generated by this demo, not a real sensor.

—
simulated heart rate (bpm)
No session running
Sends an alert to EMS

A dangerous drop in heart rate or other overdose indicators would trigger an automatic call for emergency medical services.

Notifies a designated contact

A peer, friend, or support contact you choose in advance would be notified at the same time, so you're not waiting on EMS alone.

Why it's simulated here

This prototype isn't connected to real hardware, and this feature can't ethically go further without direct input from people who use drugs — for many, a device that contacts emergency services raises real fear of police involvement. That input has to come before the engineering.

About this project

A concept, not yet a product

EchoCare started as a one-week hackathon project for HBEH 690 at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health — and this site is a working prototype built from that concept.

Substance use disorders remain a critical public health issue in the United States. People who use drugs often face stigma, criminalization, and fragmented access to the services that keep them alive — naloxone, sterile syringes, and medication for opioid use disorder among them.

EchoCare proposes an AI-powered companion that offers judgment-free support, evidence-based harm reduction guidance, and real connections to local resources — designed through collaboration with public health researchers, harm reduction experts, peer navigators, and people with lived experience.

What this prototype is — and isn't

This is a design concept grounded in research and domain expertise, not a product that has been user-tested. The people most affected by it — people who use drugs — have not yet had a voice in this design. Chat, resources, and tips are functionally working in this build; Safe-Use Mode is simulated, since no wearable hardware is connected.

Built by

Ben Westlund, MSPH/PhD Candidate in Health Behavior, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. benwestlund@med.unc.edu

Who benefits

People who use drugs, particularly in rural, underserved, or stigmatized communities with limited access to harm reduction and treatment services.

Who may be excluded

People without a smartphone, internet access, or digital literacy. Future versions could include an SMS-based option or shared-access devices through community partners.

Ethical safeguards

EchoCare is always transparent that the chatbot isn't human, and keeps direct pathways to peer navigators, counselors, and hotlines for anyone in distress or crisis.

This is a working prototype for a graduate UX case study — not a live medical product. If you or someone you're with is in immediate danger, call 911. For the full case study and design reflection, visit benwestlund.github.io/EchoCare.