On-site health service delivery models at syringe services programs in the United States: Results of a national cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Background

People who inject drugs (PWID) have many needs for health services, but frequently lack access to and/or do not utilize those services. Syringe services programs (SSPs) are low-stigma environments where health services can be provided, but are not well described.

Objective

We characterized types of health services delivery available at syringe services programs (SSPs) nationally and assess SSP characteristics associated with them.

Methods

Using a national survey of SSPs on services provided in 2019 (N = 153), we conducted latent class analysis to determine the best fit model for health service delivery types. We examined the association between health delivery types and SSP organizational characteristics using multinomial logistic regression.

Results

A 3-class model was best fit and included 1) a comprehensive care model that had a high probability of offering multiple health services (11 %), 2) a testing and wound care model that offers mostly HIV/HCV testing and wound care (57 %), and 3) a minimal or no health services model that predominantly do no offer medical services (32 %). Comprehensive care and HIV/HCV testing and wound care SSPs were significantly more likely to have ≥ 50 % of their funding from public sources (OR=13.7 and OR=18.0), be a larger program (4th quartile in syringe distribution, OR=25.2 and OR=4.7), and less likely to be a grassroots program (OR=0.1 for both) compared to minimal care SSPs.

Conclusions

With 11 % of SSPs providing comprehensive care and one-third providing minimal services, there is an opportunity to expand health care services at SSPs with further public funding investments.