Valley Streetz
Harm Reduction & Syringe Service Program
Our Principles
We aim to create a safe and inclusive environment for our community members to access harm reduction services, with a foundation of autonomy and radical love. You are safe with us.
Equity
Empowerment
We are committed to improving public health outcomes in our community and empower individuals with lived experience to play an active role in our work. By hiring those who have been directly impacted by public health issues, we ensure that our efforts are informed by the perspectives and needs of the people we serve.
Community
Radical Love
We are a public health organization that is committed to providing compassionate care to everyone in our community. Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and we strive to create an environment of radical love and empathy.
Our Mission
Valley Streetz Harm Reduction Program empowers individuals through evidence-based harm reduction practices that promote social justice, reduce the spread of infectious disease, prevent overdose-related deaths and improve quality of life, by addressing the underlying structural factors that contribute to harm.
We envision a future where addiction services are accessible, equitable and stigma-free, with the recognition of the trauma and social hurdles experienced by people with addiction.
“We must learn that passively to accept an unjust system is to cooperate with that system, and thereby to become a participant in its evil.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Meet Our Team
Co-Founder, Co-President
Andrea Silva, M.D.
(she/they)
Dr. Andrea Silva, M.D. is a Fresno, California native, a UC Davis neurobiology graduate with honors, and a former research associate at UC Davis and UC San Francisco. She holds a medical degree from St. George’s University and completed her Residency at Valley Family Medicine Residency in Modesto, California.
As chief resident, she co-founded the Rainbow Clinic, focused on improving access to safe LGBTQ+ care. Her addiction medicine fellowship at Boston Medical Center earned her the Ruth Fox Scholarship for their commitment to health equity. Dr. Silva is now a clinical professor at Valley Family Medicine Residency and Medical Director of the Valley Streetz syringe service program and street outreach team.
In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her australian shepherd named Gracie, baking Portuguese desserts, organic gardening and reading from her endless stack of new books.
Co-Founder, Co-President
James Kraus, M.D.
(he/him)
Dr. James Kraus, M.D., originally from South Carolina, is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and completed his Family Medicine Residency with Stanislaus County Health Services Agency in Modesto, where he then practiced locally with an FQHC.
Subsequently, he, along with his wife, a fellow Family Doctor, and their children, spent 7 years in rural Niger, West Africa. There, he served as the Deputy and Chief Medical Officer at a 120-bed bush hospital while contributing to various departments. He co-authored a Rotary Global Grant to introduce medical-grade oxygen and improve malnutrition and outpatient services. Upon returning, he joined the faculty practice at Scenic Faculty Medical Group.
Dr. Kraus and his family, including their labradoodle, Elfi, now reside in Modesto, CA, indulging in cultural and outdoor pursuits.
Director of Harm Reduction
Alexa Ortega
(she/her)
Alexa Ortega, a native of Ceres, CA, is a dedicated grassroots harm reductionist deeply embedded in Stanislaus County’s community fabric. With a background in the local probation office spanning five years and a newer role as a clinical skills technician, she now serves as the Director of Harm Reduction Services at ACE.
Alexa is also a co-founder of the Valley Streetz Harm Reduction Program, a California-authorized syringe service program dedicated to combating the fentanyl epidemic, assisting individuals who use drugs, and supporting those experiencing homelessness.
Her unwavering commitment to enhancing community health and safety has made her a vital advocate for harm reduction in her hometown and beyond.
Alexa can often be found at the park, distributing life-saving naloxone alongside her loyal Australian Shepherd companion, Ben.