IPSWICH — The board of health will meet to discuss the possibility of introducing a needle exchange program.

The meeting is set for Monday, May 9, at 5:30 p.m. in Town Hall, and “the public is invited to attend,” the board said in an announcement today.

Syringe service programs, or SSPs, “protect the public and first responders by facilitating the safe disposal of used needles and syringes. Providing testing, counseling, and sterile injection supplies also helps prevent outbreaks of other diseases,” the Centers for Disease Control website said.

SSPs “are community-based prevention programs that can provide a range of services, including linkage to substance use disorder treatment, access to and disposal of sterile syringes and injection equipment, and vaccination, testing, and linkage to care and treatment for infectious diseases.”

The discussion in Ipswich was requested by Susan Gould Coviello, executive director of the North Shore Health Project in Gloucester.

The project has served communities on the North Shore since 1988 and has operated this program in Gloucester since 2016.

“Research shows that comprehensive syringe service programs are safe, effective, and cost-saving, do not increase illegal drug use or crime, and play an important role in reducing the transmission of viral hepatitis, HIV, and other infections,” the Ipswich Board of Health announcement said.

SSPs have been allowed in the state since 2016. As of November, 41 communities have adopted the program.

Syringe service programs seek to:

“We encourage the community to attend this meeting and learn more about the program,” Susan C. Hubbard, board of health chair, said. “Public input will be important to the board’s deliberations.”