Prevention Point Philadelphia

Excited for the new PPP overdose surge response bus site! We'll be at N Front St & E Tusculum St on Wednesdays, 12-4pm, for the foreseeable future. The bus staff and providers offer overdose response training and supplies, medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) prescriptions and navigation, and more! Learn about the bus: https://lnkd.in/eX4mpDGj #harmreduction #meetingyouwhereyouare #treatmentoptions #substanceusedisorder

Congratulations to Om Gandhi of University of Pennsylvania on his Rhodes Scholarship to continue cancer immunotherapy research at University of Oxford. We are proud that your experience volunteering at PPP influenced you so profoundly. Every person has a story as to why they use substances. "While a freshman at Penn, Gandhi was handing out food to families outside of Prevention Point, a Kensington nonprofit that provides services to people experiencing addiction, when he met a couple who had turned to narcotics after a personal tragedy. Their son, he learned after befriending them, had died from neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer targeting nerve cells. Suddenly, his mission in life shifted. He switched majors to neuroscience and health and societies, and dedicated the rest of his time at Penn to researching ways to holistically fighting cancer." https://lnkd.in/e6fc-Dez

PPP is hiring! We have positions open including in case management, medical reception, and shelter support staff. Check out our available roles on Indeed and apply today! https://lnkd.in/ehpP_mD9

In our latest newsletter, we highlighted our specialized medical services, operating alongside our syringe services program in a community-based setting. Dr. Monika Van Sant is our fantastic Medical Services Director, ensuring that our team is treating "the whole person." "It's not just about MOUD or substance use. For our patients it's also about, 'Where are you going to sleep tonight? Did you eat something? What's the next step in the plan to be able to see your kids? Do you need clothing?'" Read all about Dr. Van Sant: https://lnkd.in/eFgWDrDZ

We just sent out our November issue of To the Point, PPP's enewsletter! Check it out and sign up to receive it once every two months on our website. This issue highlights our specialty medical services, tailored to our patient population, which operate alongside our syringe services program in a community-based setting. https://lnkd.in/e2gvdqs5

Happy to help and thank you for leading this important event! Everyone should know how to identify and reverse an opioid overdose.

It's been a big week for HIV services at PPP! Dr. Jessica Meisner, Sana Clinic physician, co-authored an article in Open Forum Infectious Diseases (Oxford Academic (Oxford University Press) on the success of long-acting injectable HIV medication with our patients: https://lnkd.in/eSF_RrNE Among the initial 15 participants, all achieved viral suppression after starting this treatment at our clinic. Since the article was written, an additional 15 patients have begun the treatment — they, too, have reached viral suppression. Once someone is virally suppressed, they can no longer pass HIV to another person, helping our community and all of Philadelphia stay healthier. Cheers to Dr. Meisner, our patients, and the whole Sana Clinic team!

We're ending the week with another post from former PPP participant, Theo Fountain. Now in recovery, Theo credits PPP's mobile overdose surge bus team with getting them the treatment and resources he needed at a pivotal moment in his life. "Mental illness is an example of the invisible challenges unhoused people face. Untreated disorders like anxiety or depression prevent many from checking in to treatment. Simply leaving your neighborhood can be a daunting task. I’ve had plenty of times on and off the street where I was immobilized by depression. There are financial impediments as well, like not having a phone to make appointments or money to pay for transportation. Mobile services solve some of these challenges. For me, I know I’d have never started Suboxone, a medication I still rely on, had it not been offered on that Prevention Point bus. I got to see a doctor once every two weeks because they were close. I needed those people. The staff advocated for me countless times. When my arm was swollen with cellulitis, it was that doctor who got me to an emergency room. It was the MOUD staff who checked up on me in the hospital, making sure I received the right medication. My family was able to reach me through the staff on that bus. Prevention Point mobile staff drove me to pharmacies, brought me clothes, and fed me. When I asked to be taken to inpatient, a staff member came with me. I remember how long she spent on the phone, trying to find a place. She brought books, snacks, even got my brother to come to the crisis center with us. When I left a few hours later, she was frustrated, but didn’t give up." https://lnkd.in/e2vTpFH7

Community engagement remains a vital aspect of PPP's mission. In FY2023-24, volunteers donated 4,218 hours to PPP's programs. PPP’s neighborhood services include monthly grocery deliveries to 75 families, back-to-school supply distributions, and daily street clean-ups. Last summer, PPP hosted its first-ever back-to-school giveaway in the Love Lot adjacent to our main building. PPP staff and volunteers distributed over 250 backpacks filled with school supplies for kindergarten, elementary, and middle school students. The festivities also included music, games, water ice, food, face-painting, and giveaways including a bicycle raffle. Special thanks to our volunteers and staff who make it possible for PPP to give back to the neighborhood we love. See all of our fiscal year numbers: https://lnkd.in/eS3P7yQb