And Lives Too! –
OCTOBER 29, 2019 – Researchers from George Washington University found that legal syringe exchange programs in the city, such as Prevention Point Philadelphia, helped to avert 10,592 cases of HIV and as a result saved the city roughly $243 million every year in healthcare costs. That amounts to an estimated $2.4 billion saved over 10 years.
When researchers factored in the cost of running SEPs – $390,000 per year on average – and compared that to the lifetime cost of treating someone with HIV, roughly $229,000, Philadelphia saw a one-year return investment of nearly $183 million, researchers said.
Baltimore was also able to prevent 1,891 HIV cases with SEPs, saving the city around $62 million a year, which extrapolates to $624 million during a 10-year period.
