What is Points of Hope?

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Syringe Access became legal in North Carolina in July of 2016. SAPs are one of the most effective public health interventions for decreasing the transmission rates of HIV & other blood borne diseases such as hepatitis C, as well as connect users to treatment & other important needs such as housing or food assistance.

By expanding access to clean syringes & ensuring a safe way to dispose of biohazardous materials, SAPs create safer environments for the community at large. SAPs are shown to lead to a 66% reduction in needle-stick injury to law enforcement.

While it is a common myth that SAPs encourage, enable or increase drug use, as well as crime, decades of research from organizations including the World Health Organization & the American Medical Association, show that SAPs do none of those. Many studies show that SAPs decrease drug use by connecting otherwise marginalized people to treatment. It is estimated that SAP participants are five times more likely to enter drug treatment than non-participants.

Syringe Access allows us to build relationship with participants, thus establishing connection with people who otherwise would be isolated if someone was not willing to meet them where they are, figuratively and literally.  We believe in offering ways for individuals to stay as healthy as possible - alive and disease free. The only person who can't recover is a dead person.