"Syringe service programs (SSPs) are community-based prevention programs that can provide a range of services, including access to and disposal of sterile syringes and injection equipment; linkage to substance use disorder treatment; distribution of naloxone, a medication that reverses overdoses; and vaccination, testing, and linkage to treatment for infectious diseases. Nearly 30 years of research shows that comprehensive SSPs are safe, effective, and cost-saving; do not increase illegal drug use or crime; reduce transmission of viral hepatitis, HIV, and other infections; and increase the chance that a participant will stop injecting drugs."
Jonathan Mermin, M.D., M.P.H., RADM and Assistant Surgeon General, USPHS, Director, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Syringe Service Programs Are Safe, Effective, and Cost-Saving. Washington, DC: US Dept. of Health and Human Services, June 26, 2019. Last accessed August 19, 2022.
