SIS’s are cost effective approaches. Four SIS’s will save New York City
$2.9-$5.7 million annually by applying overdose prevention only
(Behrends et. al, 2019). One 13-booth SIS will contribute $3.5 million
net savings for public resources in San Francisco yearly (Irwin, Jozaghi,
Bluthenthal, & Kral, 2017). In Seattle, one SIS implementation can save
approximately $4 million per year in overdose intervention and other
drug-related harm management (Hood et al., 2019). By preventing
transmission of infectious disease, SIS’s save a lot of money and
healthcare resources, which may be used for disease treatment. By
preventing overdose among PWID, SIS’s significantly reduce the
frequency of ambulance calls and hospitalization among PWID, thus
relieving the public health resources.
Last but not least, SIS’s are a door that connects PWID with harm
reduction care. Due to the particularity of PWID group— illicit drug
using, some of them are in a low socioeconomic class or experiencing
homelessness or unstable housing— people in this group are
marginalized and experience discrimination. Therefore, they may
hesitate or even be unable to seek medical care or other social support.
In SIS’s, PWID have a secure and clean place to go, and the professional
health staff are always there and willing to help. “You’ve built up a
rapport of making them safer; they feel able to talk to you,” said
Kathleen Woodruff, DNP, assistant professor at USC School of Social
Work Department of Nursing (Nursing@USC Staff, 2019). As a