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www.amfar.org <br />ISSUE BRIEF January 2013 <br />The Foundation <br />for AIDS Research <br />amfAR Public Policy Office 1150 17th Street, NW • Suite 406 • Washington, DC 20036 • T: +1 202.331.8600 F: +1 202.331.8606 <br />HIV/AIDS remains one of the country’s most serious health <br />challenges. According to an overwhelming body of evidence, <br />needle and syringe exchange programs not only reduce <br />the spread of HIV, but also save money, encourage the safe <br />disposal of syringes, minimize the risk of needlestick injuries to <br />law enforcement officials, and help link chemically dependent <br />individuals to vital drug treatment services. In difficult budgetary <br />times, investments in syringe exchange are a wise use of <br />tax dollars. <br />Injection drug-related HIV and hepatitis C infections remain <br />serious health crises in the United States <br />Each year, 50,000 Americans are newly infected with HIV.1 <br />Injection drug use remains a driving force in the national epidemic, <br />accounting for 14 percent of new HIV infections among women <br />and 7-11 percent of new HIV infections among men in the United <br />States in 2010.2 Reaching the federal goal of an “AIDS-Free <br />Generation”3 requires effective, sustained efforts to prevent new <br />infections among injection drug users (IDUs). Approximately 3.2 <br />million Americans are living with hepatitis C (HCV), and deaths <br />related to HCV have increased substantially over the last decade.4 <br />The evidence is clear: Syringe services programs prevent HIV <br />transmission <br />Sharing contaminated injecting equipment is one of the most <br />efficient means of HIV transmission.5 Scores of studies have <br />conclusively demonstrated that SSPs help prevent infection <br />by reducing the re-use and circulation of injecting equipment <br />without increasing drug use or resulting in other negative <br />Federal Funding for Syringe Services Programs: <br />Saving Money, Promoting Public Safety, and <br />Improving Public Health <br /> <br /> <br />SSPs provide free sterile syringes, an approach <br />that reduces the likelihood that users will share <br />injecting equipment.6 Although the provision of <br />sterile syringes is the core service provided by <br />SSPs, these programs also safely dispose of used <br />syringes, and have much broader health benefits.7 <br />Many offer a range of health and supportive <br />services, including on-site medical care; screening <br />and counseling for HIV, hepatitis C, and sexually <br />transmitted infections; distribution of condoms, <br />food, and clothing; and referrals to substance <br />abuse treatment.8 In addition, many SSPs help save <br />lives by providing medications to prevent overdose <br />and support drug treatment.9 SSPs offer tailored <br />services drug users need to keep themselves <br />and others safer and healthier. As a result, drug <br />users often view SSPs as more respectful and less <br />discriminatory than traditional healthcare providers; <br />this makes SSPs better able to connect drug <br />users to health and supportive services they would <br />otherwise not have accessed.10, 11, 12 <br />How SSPs work <br />• Syringe services programs (SSPs) save public <br />resources, serve as vital “bridges” to treatment <br />and prevention services, promote public safety, <br />and reduce health disparities. <br />• The ban on federal funding for SSPs under- <br />mines local control and decision-making. <br />• SSPs enjoy broad public and professional <br />support. <br />Key Points