Needle Exchange Programs at Risk of Closure as State Funding Dries Up
The loss could force small nonprofits to scale back or close as eight programs lose up to $150,000 a year, organizers said.
- On June 30, 2026, the Minnesota Department of Health ended the HIV Prevention grant, terminating funding for eight syringe service programs across Minnesota.
- Brad Ray, senior researcher at Research Triangle Institute and Harm Reduction Sisters board member, attributes the cuts to Mental Health Services Administration directives prohibiting federal grant money for harm-reduction supplies.
- Eight small nonprofits including the Aliveness Project and Southside Harm Reduction Services face losses of up to $150,000 yearly, threatening closures among organizations operating under tight budgets.
- Ryan Kelly, associate professor at University of Minnesota Medical School specializing in addiction medicine, stated SSPs "keep people alive and save a ton of money."
- Jose Ramirez, the state's HIV prevention program manager, explained the department awaits funding decisions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leaving future support uncertain.
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Pine Journal
Minn. needle exchange programs at risk of closure as state funding dries up
DULUTH — It’s never been easy to secure funding for Harm Reduction Sisters, a Duluth-based nonprofit that supports people struggling with addiction. But in June, it became even harder. That’s when founder Sue Purchase learned that the Minnesota Department of Health would no longer fund the organization’s syringe service program offering needle exchange, safe injection supplies and support services for drug users. “The MDH has always been support…
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Needle exchange programs at risk of closure as state funding dries up
Advocates point to shifts in addiction treatment philosophy at the federal level and worry the cuts are a sign of things to come.
Maine's Needle Exchanges, Designed to Limit HIV, Instead Gave Rise to Worst-Ever Outbreak
From 2019 to 2025, Maine spent more than $22 million in state and federal tax dollars on syringe services programs — that is, “clinics” where intravenous drug users can get needles for free, 100 at a time. What did we get for all that cash? The distribution of 17.2 million free needles — 2.3 million [...] The post Maine’s Needle Exchanges, Designed to Limit HIV, Instead Gave Rise to Worst-Ever Outbreak appeared first on The Maine Wire.
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