Concerns after Philly's new budget slashes funding for syringe exchange programs

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Some members of the medical community have serious concerns after Philadelphia's new budget slashed funding for syringe exchange programs.

The CDC warned lack of such programs could eventually cause an outbreak, as detailed in a letter sent last month to Philadelphia physician Ronald Collman.

The agency called "syringe service programs," or SSPs, are a "vital part of basic public health infrastructure," in that they prevent the spread of diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C.

Earlier this month, the city passed a budget that stopped paying for syringe services with tax dollars, specifically about $1 million was cut from Philadelphia nonprofit Prevention Point.

Collman, who is the director of the Penn Center for AIDS Research, is pushing for funding to be restored.

"If we stop these programs or decrease these programs, or degrade them, HIV is going to take off among those who inject drugs," said Collman. "And those infections are going to spread into the general Philadelphia community as well."

The mayor's office tells us it doesn't dispute the science, but adds taxpayer dollars won't fund needle exchange programs.

The city has been cleaning up Kensington, which is often referred to as the epicenter of the opioid epidemic.

The city is also using resources to address long-term care and housing for those battling addiction and mental health.