"We figured it out as we went along": Staff perspectives of COVID-19 response efforts at a large North American syringe services programme.

ABSTRACT

Syringe services programmes face operational challenges to provide life-sustaining services to people who use substances and those who have substance use disorders. COVID-19 has disrupted operations at these programmes and is a threat to people with substance use disorder because of severe poverty, de-prioritisation of COVID-19 safety and high prevalence of comorbidities. This phenomenological qualitative study describes 16 in-depth interviews with staff of one of the largest syringe services programme in North America-Prevention Point Philadelphia, located in the Kensington neighbourhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Interviews were conducted from December 2020 to February 2021, audio-recorded, transcribed and coded to develop a thematic framework. Participants were mostly white (71.4%) and female (68.8%) with a median age of 31.5. Three main and four sub-themes related to the impact of COVID-19 on the syringe services programme were identified (1) COVID-19 altered services provision (sub-theme select service changes should be retained); (2) unclear or absent COVID-19 response guidance which compromised mitigation (sub-themes COVID-19 messaging was difficult to translate to practice, learn-as-we-go); and (3) staff and clients experienced elevated mental anguish during the pandemic (sub-theme already limited resources were further strained). COVID-19 presented complex challenges to an organisation normally strained in pre-pandemic times. A staff culture of resourcefulness and resiliency aided the syringe services programme to balance client needs and staff safety. However, staff experienced a serious psychological impact, largely attributable to being unable to find reprieve from the stressors of COVID-19 and the difficulties associated with navigating and acting-on contradictory public health messaging. Staff also shared a belief that the relaxing of some pre-pandemic barriers allowed staff to link clients more readily with services. Syringe services programmes should embrace the potential for lasting changes to health services delivery brought about by wide-scale changes in service provisions because of COVID-19.