EVV4SSP – 2025 Campaign to Establish the First Safe Syringe Program in Evansville

We are honored to present the 2025 EVV 4 SSP Campaign and Coalition, to establish the first life-saving Syringe Service Program in Evansville, IN.

Our EVV 4 SSP Campaign will demonstrate unequivocally that a Syringe Service Program will deliver substantial benefits to our community, as evidenced by the success seen in nine Indiana cities since 2014 and as endorsed by esteemed public health agencies and health institutions including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics.

Syringe Service Programs (SSP) effectively prevent and reduce rates of HIV, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis through enhanced testing, treatment, and sustained support. These programs play a critical role in decreasing overdose rates by increasing access to Naloxone, providing essential harm reduction supplies, and educating the community on overdose prevention. SSP improves access to healthcare and social services including addiction treatment, housing, and employment. These programs significantly mitigate used syringe litter and accidental needle sticks for the community and public safety responders through expanded safe disposal options and education. Also importantly, Syringe Service Programs reduce the economic burden on taxpayers as the most recognized, cost-effective and cost-saving public health intervention for disease prevention, overdose prevention, linkage to treatment, jail diversion, and needle-free public spaces.

The EVV 4 SSP Coalition is composed of dedicated members from various organizations, all of whom have demonstrated unwavering commitment to harm reduction and equitable public health initiatives in Evansville for over two decades. Our interdisciplinary team exemplifies our commitment to collaboration and diverse representation, leveraging our varied skill sets, extensive research, and firsthand experiences related to the syndemic issues of overdose, addiction, disease, incarceration, and homelessness that have profoundly impacted our community.

Our EVV 4 SSP comprehensive strategy includes robust educational engagement on social media, compassionate public needs assessments focusing on individuals currently using substances, dynamic interactive community presentations and outreach, generative meetings with stakeholders and media, thorough analysis of Evansville’s disease and overdose profiles, assessment of optimal locations and models for a Syringe Service Program, hosting an impactful public town hall with coalition panelists, and drafting a supportive ordinance in collaboration with City Council members and the Vanderburgh County Health Department. Together, we are driving meaningful change and fostering a healthier, safer Evansville, and we welcome all members of our community to join us in this crucial effort.

EVV 4 SSP COALITION MEMBERS:

Evansville Recovery Alliance

Lavender Timmons, Executive Director

lavender@indianarecoveryalliance.org

Samantha Buente, Board Member of ERA, and Clinical Coordinator and Psychometrist for Brain Injury Services Program, Easterseals Crossroads

samantha.buente@gmail.com

Katie Montgomery, former Harm Reduction Coordinator, DC Behavioral Health

ktxmontgomery@gmail.com

Matthew 25 AIDS Services

Olivia Blanco, IN Prevention and Education Coordinator, Hep C Care Coordinator

oblanco@matthew25clinic.org

NAACP EVV Branch 3048B