Estimated Cost of Comprehensive Syringe Service Program in the United States

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2019 Apr 27

PMID 31026295

Citations 9

Authors

Eyasu H Teshale

Alice Asher

Maria V Aslam

Ryan Augustine

Eliana Duncan

Alyson Rose-Wood

John Ward

Jonathan Mermin

Kwame Owusu-Edusei

Patricia M Dietz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the cost of establishing and operating a comprehensive syringe service program (SSP) free to clients in the United States.

Methods: We identified the major cost components of a comprehensive SSP: (one-time start-up cost, and annual costs associated with personnel, operations, and prevention/medical services) and estimated the anticipated total costs (2016 US dollars) based on program size (number of clients served each year) and geographic location of the service (rural, suburban, and urban).

Results: The estimated costs ranged from $0.4 million for a small rural SSP (serving 250 clients) to $1.9 million for a large urban SSP (serving 2,500 clients), of which 1.6% and 0.8% is the start-up cost of a small rural and large urban SSP, respectively. Cost per syringe distributed varied from $3 (small urban SSP) to $1 (large rural SSP), and cost per client per year varied from $2000 (small urban SSP) to $700 (large rural SSP).

Conclusions: Estimates of the cost of SSPs in the United States vary by number of clients served and geographic location of service. Accurate costing can be useful for planning programs, developing policy, allocating funds for establishing and supporting SSPs, and providing data for economic evaluation of SSPs.

Citing Articles

Financial barriers, facilitators, and strategies among syringe services programs in the U.S., and their impact on implementation and health outcomes.

Akiba C, Smith J, Wenger L, Morris T, Patel S, Bluthenthal R SSM Qual Res Health. 2024; 5.

PMID: 38957482 PMC: 11218888. DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100421.

Funding and Delivery of Syringe Services Programs in the United States, 2022.

Facente S, Humphrey J, Akiba C, Patel S, Wenger L, Tookes H Am J Public Health. 2024; 114(4):435-443.

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How do contextual factors influence naloxone distribution from syringe service programs in the USA: a cross-sectional study.

Lambdin B, Wenger L, Bluthenthal R, Bartholomew T, Tookes H, LaKosky P Harm Reduct J. 2023; 20(1):26.

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The estimated costs and benefits of a hypothetical supervised consumption site in Providence, Rhode Island.

Chambers L, Hallowell B, Zang X, Rind D, Guzauskas G, Hansen R Int J Drug Policy. 2022; 108:103820.

PMID: 35973341 PMC: 10131249. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103820.

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Adams J, Savinkina A, Fox A, Behrends C, Madushani R, Wang J Addiction. 2022; 117(10):2635-2648.

PMID: 35315148 PMC: 9951221. DOI: 10.1111/add.15883.

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