What Is A Syringe Service Program (SSP)?*

SSPs distribute sterile syringes, safer drug use supplies, and education to people who inject drugs. These harm reduction programs are proven to reduce HIV and HCV infection rates by about 50%.

SSPs prevent overdose deaths by teaching people who inject drugs how to prevent overdose and how to recognize, respond to, and reverse a drug overdose by providing training on how to use naloxone, a medication used to reverse an overdose. Many SSPs provide “overdose prevention kits” containing naloxone to people who inject drugs.

Nearly thirty years of research shows comprehensive SSPs are safe, effective, and cost-saving.