Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40826458›Full record

ArticleHarm reduction journal2025

Tribally-affiliated syringe services programs in the United States: a brief report.

Sean T Allen, Edmund Keane, Clinton Alexander, Sharon Day, Philomena Kebec, Andrea Medley, Frank Johnson, Pam Hughes, Brooklynn Barney, Melissa Walls

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Harm reduction journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Sean T AllenDepartment of Health, Behavior and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Sallen63@jhu.edu.
Edmund KeaneDepartment of Health, Behavior and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
Clinton AlexanderBehavioral Health, White Earth Nation, 33991 Victory Way Drive, Ogema, MN, 56589, USA.
Sharon DayIndigenous Peoples Task Force, 1335 E. 23 Rd St., Minneapolis, MN, 55404, USA.
Philomena KebecBad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, 72682 Maple Street, Odanah, WI, 54861, USA.
Andrea MedleyJohns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
Frank JohnsonBehavioral Health, White Earth Nation, 33991 Victory Way Drive, Ogema, MN, 56589, USA.
Pam HughesBois Forte Band of Chippewa (Enrolled Member), PO Box 511, Tower, MN, 55790, USA.
Brooklynn BarneyJohns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
Melissa WallsJohns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.

Funding

Research Project 3P50DA058619 · NIDA · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI Mary Allison Barlow, Melissa L. Walls · 2023 to 2026
$12.9M
NIDA NIH HHS P50 DA058619NIDA NIH HHS P50DA058619
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFew studies have examined the implementation of syringe services programs (SSPs) that serve Indigenous people who inject drugs in the United States (US). There are 574 Federally-recognized tribes in the US, each characterized by unique traditions, values, and customs. Given the diversity of tribes, better understanding SSP implementation in Native contexts first requires examining the degree to which tribes in the US implemented these programs.

objectiveThis research describes the number of SSPs that are affiliated with Federally-recognized tribes in the US.

methodsFrom July to September 2022, we conducted an online search of all 574 Federally-recognized tribes to determine how many had affiliated SSPs. We downloaded a list of Federally-recognized tribes from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and conducted Boolean searches on Google for the name of each tribe and SSPs. Our searches included several synonyms for SSPs, including "needle exchange," "syringe exchange," and "harm reduction." In instances where "harm reduction programs" were identified, we reviewed website contents to determine if the program was inclusive of a SSP. We considered SSPs to be affiliated with Federally-recognized tribe(s) if they were housed in a tribal health clinic or tribal organization, or via an explicit partnership with a Federally-recognized tribe.

resultsWe identified 21 SSPs that were affiliated with Federally-recognized tribes. The majority (85.7%) of SSPs were affiliated with a single tribe. Eight of the SSPs also offered medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) on-site (e.g., the SSPs operated out of health clinics that offered MOUD).

conclusionsThe results of this study demonstrate that there are at least 21 SSPs that are affiliated with Federally-recognized tribes in the US, with some serving multiple tribes. This research makes a noteworthy contribution to the public health literature given that no systematic exploration of the number of SSPs affiliated with tribes has been conducted. The scale of substance use inequities among Indigenous people underscores the critical importance of communities implementing and managing their own comprehensive harm reduction programs.

Indexed as

Indians, North AmericanNeedle-Exchange ProgramsSubstance Abuse, IntravenousHarm ReductionHumansUnited StatesHarm reductionIndigenousInjection drug usePeople who inject drugsSyringe services program

Identifiers

PMID40826458
PMCPMC12362947

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.