Syringe Services Programs, often called SSPs, are community-based prevention programs. SSPs provide a range of health services, and they provide a lifeline to those struggling with substance abuse. Comprehensive SSPs offer patients vaccinations and testing for diseases, referrals to treatment for substance use disorder and other diseases (such as viral hepatitis and HIV), and sterile injection equipment to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases.

Scientists, including those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have studied SSPs for more than 30 years and found that comprehensive SSPs benefit communities.