Syringe Services participants numbers have come a long way since 2019. We were able to grow our numbers from about 13 in 2020 to about 30 in 2021. This number increased to 41 participants in 2022 and this number remained steady the entire year. Upticks in particpation in the program have been due in large part to the efforts of our peer distributors, which we began utilizing at the start of 2021. 

• Peer Distributors
• Community Partner/Referral Agencies (e.g. Hyde County Department of Social Services, Hyde County Sheriff's Department, etc.)

According to the Community Opioid Resources Engine for North Carolina (CORE-NC), "Syringe services programs (SSPs) are an evidence-based strategy to reduce overdose deaths, reduce transmission of bloodborne pathogens including HIV and hepatitis C (HCV), and connect participants to treatment and care. SSPs provide a variety of social and health services for people who use drugs, often serving as the primary avenue to meet their health needs. They offer sterile syringes and disposal services to remove biohazards from the community, reduce sharing and reuse of syringes, provide wound care, distribute naloxone, and offer many other wraparound services." For more information, https://ncopioidsettlement.org/resources/syringe-services-programs/.

The Hyde County Substance Awareness Program would like to increase its participant numbers in 2024 by engaging with additional peer distributors who can tap into new groups of people who are in need of these services.