Serving People Where They Are: Strengthening the Social Safety Net through Syringe Services Programs

People do not live single-issue lives. As funders, service providers, and policymakers dedicated to improving health outcomes in the United States, we have an obligation to identify and support innovative strategies that seek to support people in all aspects of their lives.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted gaps in our existing healthcare infrastructure. We have seen the domino effect that occurs from a public health crisis. COVID-19 has shuttered businesses across the country, leading to job loss, housing insecurity, loss of health insurance, and illness. The response is not solely focused on COVID-19. Economic support, mental health services, telehealth expansion, and housing assistance all play a role in ending the pandemic.

Similarly, increases in substance use leads to additional, intersecting issues. Syringe services programs operate at this intersection, providing lifesaving healthcare services to marginalized communities around the country. People who use drugs access services that reduce the harms associated with substance use. They also enter a community of care that provides respect, dignity, and access.

Syringe services programs provide care without judgment, and connect individuals to infectious disease prevention and treatment, mental and behavioral health services, medication for opioid use disorder, reproductive health services, housing assistance, job placement and support networks.

We are grateful to our speakers:
- Zachary Ford, Senior Program Manager, AIDS United
-Mark Jenkins, Executive Director, Greater Hartford Harm Reduction Coalition
-Philomena Kebec, Executive Director, Gwayakobimaadiziwin Bad River Needle Exchange
-Rafael A. Torruella, PHD, Executive Director, Intercambios Puerto Rico
-Anne Aslett, Global Chief Executive Officer, Elton John AIDS Foundation
-Daniel Lee, Chief Executive Officer, Levi Strauss Foundation
-Jonathan Mermin, MD, MPH, Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control
-Jesse Milan, Jr. JD, President & CEO, AIDS United
-Mary Pounder, Executive Director, Comer Family Foundation