Clean Needle Needle & Syringe Program Program NSP Peer Projects is part of the stateCNP wide needle Clean Needle and syringe Program program. (CNP). There are many outlets participating in the NSP, CNP, making sterile injecting equipment and health information available to people who inject drugs throughout South Australia. NSPs CNPs have been instrumental in containing the threat of a major HIV epidemic in Australia and they continue to play an important role in preventing the further spread of hepatitis B and C.
By approaching illicit drug use as a health issue, not a moral issue, Clean Needle Needle and Syringe Programs Programs aim to aim reduce to reduce a range ofrange a drug of related drug harms. related Clean harms. Needle Needle Programs and Syringe help Programs to: help to: • reduce blood-borne viruses amongst people who inject drugs and the wider community, • increase illicit drug users’ access to health and drug treatment services, • reduce risks associated with unsafe injecting practices, and
Peer Education
Peer education is a public health strategy that has been demonstrated to be a successful means of supporting people who inject drugs to engage in safer injecting, in turn decreasing the transmission of blood-borne viruses and other injecting related harms. Peer education is effective because people learn best from others like themselves who share the same experiences or values and relate in similar ways. Because illicit drug users often distrust information on drug use coming from mainstream sources, they can best learn about ways of reducing risks from people with similar life experience. Peer education is also successful at engaging marginalised groups of people who inject drugs such as sex workers, Aboriginal people, homeless people and young people who are at increased risk of injecting-related harms.
• improve the overall health and wellbeing of people who inject drugs. Hepatitis SA
Ph 1800 437 222 or (08) 8362 8443 FaxKaurna (08) 8362 Country 8559 3 Hackney Rd Hackney SA 5069 PO Box 782 Kent Town SA 5071 www.hepsa.asn.au
CNP NSP Peer Projects
Last Lastupdate: update:September October 2024 2019 SA Health has contributed funds towards this Program.
CNP NSP Peer Projects is a peer-based program of Hepatitis SA that aims to improve the health of people who inject drugs, their families and the wider community by providing injecting equipment, information and education to reduce harms associated with injecting.