Prevention Point Philadelphia

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

Read Dr. Margaret Lowenstein's piece about PPP's mobile overdose response unit, which provides same-day prescriptions for buprenorphine. The PPP "bupe bus" aims to get treatment to the people who need it most but have the least access. Our goal is to eliminate the barriers to care and racial disparities that keep people trapped in the cycle of substance use disorder and have contributed to the rise in deadly overdoses—particularly among communities of color. These barriers include stigma, lack of access to necessary resources, and rigid requirements to enter treatment that conflict with work and family priorities. Thanks to Dr. Lowenstein, Denise Botcheos, Sonika Aggarwal, and teams for their remarkable, lifesaving work on the bus. https://lnkd.in/ge2YGCZd

We loved having Shermont as an intern, are thrilled that he is joining us as a part-time navigator in the syringe services program!

Ayer fue National Latinx HIV Awareness Day. PPP ofrece pruebas, prevención y tratamiento del VIH. Nuestro equipo médico y de gestión de casos te brinda opciones y te ayuda a tomar control de tu salud. En 2022, el 32% de los nuevos diagnósticos de VIH en los Estados Unidos fueron entre personas latinas, a pesar de que solo representaban el 19% de la población total. Los problemas sociales y estructurales, como el estigma, el racismo, la homofobia, la pobreza y la falta de acceso a atención médica de alta calidad, provocan disparidades en la salud y siguen impulsando inequidades. Prevention Point Philadelphia ofrece pruebas, prevención y tratamiento del VIH sin juicios y sin barreras: Pruebas: Un especialista te pincha el dedo. ¡No hay extracción de sangre ni agujas! Tus resultados se ven en segundos. Sin importar el resultado, nuestro personal te conectará con la atención que necesitas. Prevención: PPP ofrece profilaxis previa a la exposición o PrEP, que es hasta un 99% efectiva para prevenir la adquisición del VIH. Tratamiento: La Clínica Sana de PPP ofrece un espectro completo de atención médica para pacientes con VIH y manejo de casos especializados. No estás solo. PPP te brinda la atención compasiva y de alta calidad que necesitas. https://lnkd.in/eWnbvpjG

Housing services are cornerstones of what we do at PPP. Beacon House, PPP's low-barrier shelter, provides tailored shelter services to people who use drugs with personalized, on-site case management. Our homeless outreach team literally meets people where they are, providing referrals and transport to emergency shelter and drug treatment services. In 2024, PPP provided emergency housing to 157 individuals, with 41 transitioning to permanent housing. We also conducted 4,290 interactions with individuals experiencing homelessness, helping them become eligible for housing and providing essential survival supplies—a 19% increase over the previous year. Furthermore, PPP facilitated 415 placements into emergency housing, addressing the urgent needs of Philadelphia’s homeless population. Thanks to the homeless outreach team and the staff at Beacon House for their amazing work! See all of our FY2024 numbers here: https://lnkd.in/eS3P7yQb

Prevention Point is hiring! We are searching for: -EHE Engagement Clinic Lead -Medical Receptionist -Shelter Shift Supervisor -Housing Case Manager ... and more! Check out our open positions and apply now: https://lnkd.in/eVWC6xxc

On September 25, 2024 we hosted a special event in the Love Lot — Recover & Thrive: Celebrating Recovery Month at Prevention Point Philadelphia. Community members joined us for a program featuring stories from people in recovery as well as treatment resources, medication demonstrations, refreshments, and an art workshop. Thank you to everyone who attended, our hardworking staff for making it possible, and all the participants and community members who shared their recovery stories with such clarity and conviction. No matter where someone is in their substance use and/or recovery, PPP believes that all people deserve accessible, compassionate, evidence-based care.

Our final Sunshine Story for National Recovery Month 2024 comes from Teena Weisler, PPP Womxn's Night Coordinator. We're grateful to her for more than four years of work with PPP and for the empathy, hope, and wisdom she brings to our community. Read her story: According to middle-class societal standards, no one could have guessed that Teena Weisler was a person struggling with drug and alcohol use disorder. She always had a job and a place to live. She had a car and “checked off the life boxes of what was considered a functional adult,” she says. But inside, she was struggling—with unaddressed trauma and undiagnosed mental health issues. She was, she says, “in deep, deep, deep despair, and that was overwhelming. I just didn’t want to live anymore.” That changed in 2012 when Teena had to make a decision. “For me, it was all or nothing. It was all abstinence-based,” she says. “I didn’t know how you did something like harm reduction when seeking recovery from substance use disorder.” She’s well-versed in harm reduction now, and coordinates PPP’s weekly Womxn’s Night. She also thinks the harm reduction model has helped her stay the drug-free course. “If I was not working at Prevention Point and doing Womxns’ Night, I feel I would have gone into full-on relapses and returned to use,” Teena says. “My old way of thinking was pretty rigid and that was more smothering than freeing.” Teena first turned to drugs and alcohol after a traumatic incident in college. “I thought it would make me feel better, and it made me feel better in the moment,” she says. “By better, I mean I didn’t have to think about the incident. I could forget.” Read Teena's story: https://lnkd.in/eGdFU5Js

Just in from WHYY, right in time for the last day of National Recovery Month! "At Prevention Point Philadelphia, officials report that interest in long-acting medications for opioid use disorder is growing significantly. The organization administered 312 Sublocade injections in fiscal year 2023 and double the number in fiscal year 2024. Providers hope that raising awareness about this option will make addiction treatment accessible to even more people. 'When you don’t have to worry about taking something two or three times a day, especially if you’re unsheltered and have trauma and a number of other factors affecting your ability to take medication, the Sublocade is an amazing option,' said Silvana Mazzella, lead executive officer at Prevention Point."