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4 <br /> Student Health Action Coalition Syringe Service Program <br /> Proposal to Orange County Opioid Advisory Committee <br /> Who We Are <br /> The Student Health Action Coalition Syringe Service Program(SHAC SSP) is a volunteer-based <br /> organization that seeks to improve health outcomes for people who use substances and increase <br /> community knowledge around drug safety. We are founded on the principles of harm reduction, <br /> which seek to center the humanity of people who use substances while working to decrease risky <br /> behavior through delivery of non judgmental care. People who are involved with an SSP are <br /> more likely to stop injecting and enter treatment for substance use disorders than those who are <br /> not affiliated with an SSP.1-4 By providing safe and convenient needle disposal sites, SSPs also <br /> protect the public, first responders, and police by reducing syringe litter.`1 Through this <br /> evidence-based approach we aim to "meet people where they are" and rebuild trust between <br /> people with substance use disorders and the medical community. <br /> Our parent organization, Student Health Action Coalition (SHAC), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that <br /> is managed through the UNC Health Foundation and is part of the National Association of Free <br /> Clinics (NAFC) and the North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NCAFCC). <br /> SHAC has been in continuous operation since 1967, with the mission of providing <br /> "comprehensive health care and social needs support, completely free of cost to patients." <br /> SHAC SSP serves a diverse clientele and, aside from the Orange County Health Department, is <br /> the only SSP based in—and focused solely on—Orange County. SHAC is supervised by Dr. Karen <br /> Halpert, professor in the department of Family Medicine at UNC. SHAC SSP benefits from <br /> additional clinical oversight and mentorship by Dr. Robyn Jordan, a board-certified psychiatrist <br /> and professor at UNC specializing in addiction medicine. Dr. Jordan is also the medical director <br /> of the UNC Addiction Medicine Program. SHAC SSP registered with the North Carolina <br /> Department of Health and Human Services as an SSP in Spring of 2022 <br /> What We Do <br /> Over the past six months we have greatly expanded our supplies offered, our base of volunteers, <br /> and our community education activities. Over the past year, we have provided safer use supplies <br /> to over 45 SSP clients, including more than 200 doses of naloxone and more than 1,000 sterile <br /> syringes. Our leadership team has received training in order to lead educational activities related <br /> to naloxone administration, harm reduction principles, North Carolina Good Samaritan laws, and <br /> fentanyl awareness. Our team has trained more than 20 active volunteers, and we have worked <br /> with community partners on UNC's campus and at the Inter-Faith Council (IFC) in Carrboro to <br /> provide training for the public. <br /> Our work involves both direct resource distribution and community education. We currently <br /> provide direct care weekly out of the Inter-Faith Council (IFC, and we are seeking to expand <br /> both the number of days and the locations at which we provide services to reach the greatest <br /> number of people who could benefit from our services. In our direct work we provide: <br />