Last updated : December 16, 2024
There is a fine line between helping someone who suffers from drug addiction and enabling them. Programs designed to reach out to addicts suffering from drug addiction are blanketed under the term “syringe services programs” (SSPs). Needle exchange programs (NEPs) and syringe exchange programs (SEPs) are two other names for these programs.
The names all point to supplying addicts with clean needles and syringes to combat diseases and infections that spread when addicts share these necessary supplies. Some people feel that rather than helping this plan of action falls into the enabling category. However, communities that develop SSP programs are responsible for determining what help to give. In addition to needles and syringes being distributed, other help is offered by way of the following:
- Referrals to substance use disorder treatment programs
- Clinics that screen for and treat viral hepatitis and HIV which can be spread when sharing needles
- Education to teach addicts about overdose prevention and safe injection practices
- Vaccinations
- Sexually transmitted disease screening
- Abscess and wound care
- Distributing Naloxone
- Referrals to social, mental health, or other medical services
Are these services worthwhile?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), the answer is yes, SSPs are worthwhile. Rather than being programs that enable drug use, data suggests that people who use SSPs do benefit from the programs.
Research suggests that new users of SSPs are five times more likely to seek help in a drug treatment program than those who don’t. Moreover, those who inject drugs and use SSPs are three times more likely to report they don’t shoot up as frequently as in the past. This is in comparison to people who have never used an SSP. Perhaps it’s the encouragement received from another human being to get help that is the catalyst that causes people who visit SSPs to seek treatment for their addiction.
SSPs have caused a reduction in infections spread by using contaminated needles. HIV, viral hepatitis, bacterial infections, and fungal infections are all transmitted by nonsterile injections. SSPs provide clean needles and syringes, thereby, preventing the spread of bloodborne infections and disease.
Other serious health risks linked to using contaminated drug paraphernalia are infections of the heart valves, known as endocarditis, serious skin infections, and deep tissue abscesses. These conditions can become life-threatening if the addict doesn’t seek medical care. SSP staff can determine warning signs and refer the person to easy-to-access treatment provided in the community.
Safe needle disposal is also something provided by SSPs. Addicts are using them so the streets are less littered with abandoned syringes. Moreover, crime and illegal drug use decreases rather than SSPs causing them to rise as some community members originally feared.
Narcan vending machines are popping up across the country too. Cities that have made them available include—but aren’t limited to:
Are these programs cost-effective?
SSPs reduce healthcare costs because they prevent the spread of HIV, viral hepatitis, and other infections that can become life-threatening. For instance, the lifetime cost of treating one person who is living with HIV is estimated at $450,000. Moreover, substance-related hospitalizations in the United States cost over $700 million per year. SSPs reduce these costs by linking people to treatment to stop using drugs or to receive medical care. And, those free needles and syringes continue to reduce the spread of infection.
Direct program funding for SSPs
The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) was established in 2016 and its mission is to improve health outcomes for people living with HIV and hepatitis. They recently partnered with Voices of Community Activists and Leaders, New York (VOCAL-NY) as well as the University of Washington (UW), selecting grant recipients for Strengthening Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) through Direct Program Funding, a CDCP-supported funding opportunity.
The five-year grant initiative was created to support organizations around the nation with funding and resources intended to strengthen the capacity of SSPs. In total, 65 programs were awarded a total of $6,000,000 for the first year of a two-year funding cycle. The programs are located in thirty-one states across the nation.
As stated on NASTAD’s website:
The Strengthening SSPs grant initiative goals are to:
- Provide low-threshold, direct funding to SSPs through a transparent process that prioritizes programs operating within communities experiencing significant health disparities, have limited access to resources for PWUDs, and represent a diversity of program size, scale, and geographic location and participant diversity.
- Offer enhanced capacity-building assistance on organizational and fiscal development, particularly for a diverse range of programs that represent, and work within, disproportionately affected communities.
Do they help or hurt?
We’ve probably all been guilty of enabling someone who uses drugs to some degree. It’s hard to say no when we’re dealing with someone we know and care for who is asking for our help. However, at some point, many of us decide to stand firm and refuse to give them money, pay the bills, cover for them at work—whatever the “help” asked for is that doesn’t include getting treatment.
We get how some people think passing out needles and dispensing Narcan in free vending machines is enabling continued drug use. Some people believe it makes these programs a part of the problem rather than a cure. We may have been guilty of snorting when we first heard of handing out syringes too. However, taking a step back and looking at the big picture can give you an entirely different view.
In addition to handing out free drug paraphernalia and the means necessary to revive someone overdosing on opioids, SSP workers encourage addicts to seek help, both for their drug addiction and any medical or mental health conditions. The programs, themselves, are providing safe places to dispose of used needles and syringes and aren’t causing an increase in crime or drug use.
Is compassion the key?
We want to mention the power of positively connecting with another human being again, though.
SSP workers show compassion. So, in addition to truly caring about the person they are serving, the kind words spoken along with a bright smile can have monumental effects. Many of the people SSP workers come into contact with may feel as if they have come to a place in their lives where they live only to serve their addiction.
What if the gesture of kindness is the catalyst that lights a spark within an addict? Then, what if that spark of hope grows a bit brighter each time they stop by the SSP? Moreover, what if, ultimately, it’s humans reaching out to other humans in the hope of helping them overcome their addictions that was the key to unlocking the remedy all along?
This is worth investigating. Let’s enable people to live a life of freedom.
