The Utilization of a Syringe Services Program in a High-Risk Homeless Community in Savannah, Georgia
Abstract
Background: In the United States, there was a 6-fold increase in opioid overdose deaths from 2015 to 2020, which has resulted in the legalization of Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) in Georgia. SSPs are community-based, harm reduction programs that provide primary and secondary prevention to improve the overall health and well-being of people who inject drugs (PWIDs) and the community as a whole. In this study, we implemented a SSP with an overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) and needle exchange program (NEP), to assess the population needs of a high-risk homeless community and determine the efficacy of such program. Method: In partnership with a federally funded mobile healthcare for the homeless, the program provided education on overdose prevention and response, and safe needle practices such as the risks of sharing needles, maintaining sterility, and proper needle disposal. In addition, the study recorded the number of participants receiving services, quantity of syringes and naloxone kits distributed, and amount of used syringes properly disposed of. Expected Results: We will analyze the data collected from the SSP to better understand the syringe, naloxone, and syringe disposal needs of the community. By establishing a SSP, we plan to lower the threshold to harm reduction services and ensure adequate supplies are available for sterile injection and opioid overdoses. Our efforts focus on establishing an effective and sustainable SSP to reduce opioid-related mortalities and intravenous drug-associated infections. Conclusion: Harm reduction is the fundamental core of SSPs. Although SSPs face several financial, structural, and social barriers to implementation, nearly three decades of research support the safety, effectiveness, cost-savings, and reduction of opioid overdose mortalities and transmission of infections of SSPs. In this study, we will implement an SSP to better understand the resources required to achieve our intended outcomes of a safer community.
Keywords
Syringe Services Programs (SSPs), Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND), Needle Exchange Program (NEP), People who inject drugs (PWID), Opioid Overdoses, Intravenous Drug-Associated Infections
The Utilization of a Syringe Services Program in a High-Risk Homeless Community in Savannah, Georgia
Background: In the United States, there was a 6-fold increase in opioid overdose deaths from 2015 to 2020, which has resulted in the legalization of Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) in Georgia. SSPs are community-based, harm reduction programs that provide primary and secondary prevention to improve the overall health and well-being of people who inject drugs (PWIDs) and the community as a whole. In this study, we implemented a SSP with an overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) and needle exchange program (NEP), to assess the population needs of a high-risk homeless community and determine the efficacy of such program. Method: In partnership with a federally funded mobile healthcare for the homeless, the program provided education on overdose prevention and response, and safe needle practices such as the risks of sharing needles, maintaining sterility, and proper needle disposal. In addition, the study recorded the number of participants receiving services, quantity of syringes and naloxone kits distributed, and amount of used syringes properly disposed of. Expected Results: We will analyze the data collected from the SSP to better understand the syringe, naloxone, and syringe disposal needs of the community. By establishing a SSP, we plan to lower the threshold to harm reduction services and ensure adequate supplies are available for sterile injection and opioid overdoses. Our efforts focus on establishing an effective and sustainable SSP to reduce opioid-related mortalities and intravenous drug-associated infections. Conclusion: Harm reduction is the fundamental core of SSPs. Although SSPs face several financial, structural, and social barriers to implementation, nearly three decades of research support the safety, effectiveness, cost-savings, and reduction of opioid overdose mortalities and transmission of infections of SSPs. In this study, we will implement an SSP to better understand the resources required to achieve our intended outcomes of a safer community.
