Comment from HNV
AnonymousSupportAdvocacy
Summary: The commenter, representing a community-based nonprofit, supports the proposed revision of the National Survey of Syringe Services Programs but argues that it must be expanded to include a broader range of evidence-based harm reduction services and specific community barriers. They emphasize that the survey should capture the full scope of wraparound services provided by SSPs and be designed with input from those who operate and use these programs.
I am submitting comments on CDC’s proposed revision of the National Survey of Syringe Services Programs, Docket No. CDC-2026-0859. I offer these comments as a person with lived experience and as a registered nurse, recovery coach, addiction counselor, and SSP manager for a community-based nonprofit organization. If the survey does not include a broad range of questions about prevention and evidence-based harm reduction strategies, it will overlook the essential, life-saving, wraparound services SSPs provide. We connect participants to services in many ways, including sitting with them while they make phone calls, providing transportation, attending appointments, and advocating for appropriate care. Our staff does all of this and more. Harm reduction and SSPs are far more than syringe exchange. We provide HIV, HCV, and STI testing and treatment; vaccine access; wound care; peer support; transportation; service navigation; assistance obtaining vital documents; linkage to mental health services; drug checking services; recovery incentive connections; and other critical supports. Collecting data on the full range of SSP services is necessary to accurately reflect the essential, life-saving work being done. The survey should also more clearly measure community attitudes and barriers related to SSPs. The phrase “community oppression” is not useful because it does not specifically capture local zoning restrictions, police interference, supply confiscation, funding limitations, or threatened closure orders. These conditions can also change over time as communities and law enforcement become more educated about the work SSPs do. CDC must design this survey with people who operate and use syringe services programs, not merely about them. Many individuals doing this work on the ground have valuable knowledge about how these strategies help communities and save lives. Please use our experience to strengthen the survey and help lessen the impact of substance use.