Facts about SSPs & Public Health
- SSPs have shown to reduce the transmission of viruses without increasing drug use by providing access to clean syringes.
- Data supports that SSPs promote public health and safety by taking syringes off the streets.
- SSPs help protect law enforcement personnel from needle stick injuries, which can result in the transmission of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C (amfAR Fact Sheet, 2011).
What are Syringe Services Programs?
Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) are an effective public health approach to reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases in communities across the U.S. Services include the provision of clean syringes, collects used syringes, Harm Reduction Education, HIV and Hepatitis C testing/screening, Overdose Prevention (OD) Education, and referrals to drug treatment, STD screening, and other ancillary services. There are currently 194 syringe services programs in 33 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Indian Nations (NASEN, 2014).
The list below contains information on CT SSPs. As programs continue to expand across CT, this resource will be updated with the additional information.
| SEP Program | Address | Telephone | Program Contact | Program Email |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIDS Connecticut | 110 Bartholomew Ave, Suite 3050 Hartford, CT 06106 |
860-247-2437 | Julia Telfer | jtelfer@aids-ct.org |
| Alliance for Living | 154 Broad St New London, CT 06320 |
860-447-0884 x233 | Kelly Thompson | kthompson@allianceforliving.org |
| AIDS Project Greater Danbury | 30 West St Danbury, CT |
203-797-1483 | Lise Probst | inkainka15@gmail.com |
| GBAPP Harm Reduction Program Recovery Network of Programs |
1470 Barnum Ave, Suite 301 Bridgeport, CT 06610 |
203-366-8255 | Nancy Kingwood | nkingwood@gbapp.org |
| Greater Hartford Harm Reduction Coalition |
1229 Albany Ave Hartford, CT 06112 |
860-250-4146 | Mark Jenkins | markj@ghhrc.org |
| Perception Programs | 54 North St, PO Box 407 Willimantic, CT 06226 |
860-450-7248 | Kristie Scott | kristie.scott@perceptionprograms.org |
| Yale University Community Health Care Van (CHCV) | 135 College Street, Suite 323 New Haven, CT 06510 |
203-737-4047 | Sharon Joslin | sharon.joslin@yale.edu |
Persons who inject drugs (PWIDs) make up 8% of new HIV infections in the United States (CDC Fact Sheet), over 60% of new hepatitis C (HCV) infections (CDC HCV Website), and emerging HCV epidemic in young people (Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Young Persons Who Inject Drugs Report, 2013). Syringe services programs (SSPs) serve as a safe, effective HIV prevention method for people who inject drugs (PWID) to exchange used syringes for sterile needles, thereby significantly lowering the risk of HIV transmission. Since the 1980s, SSPs in conjunction with other HIV prevention strategies have resulted in reductions of up to 80% in HIV incidence among PWID.
For further information about High Impact Prevention strategies, such as SSPs, please contact Marianne Buchelli, Health Program Services Supervisor at 860-509-8053 or email at Marianne.buchelli@ct.gov.
More information: CDC Vital Signs - December 2016
