Prevention Point Philadelphia

A note from our Drop-in Coordinator, Kerri: Community spaces like this one are life-saving and life-sustaining. This little space has kept people warm, has kept people cool, has responded to emergencies, has allowed for rest, has been full of laughter, full of tears, full of food and coffee and snacks and clothes and toiletries, full of movies and tv shows and music and dancing, full of some disagreements, and lots and lots of restoration and setting differences aside and lo...ving one another. This space has tenderly held hard conversations, and simultaneously been the center for joy and lots of terrible jokes. This sweet space has looked a lot different over these last few months, but the sentiments of acceptance, love, compassion, and always expecting the unexpected remain Right now, this space could use some love in the form of warm winter coats, gloves, hats, and scarves for our neighbors who are facing homelessness and housing insecurity. If you are able to donate hygiene products and/or new or used winter clothing (laundered, good condition), please contact: [email protected] as well as [email protected] Thank you all for your continued support and love.

Front page of the Inquirer this morning. As data continue to emerge around the pandemic’s effect on overdoses, PPP's Associate ED, Silvana Mazzella said that "it is essential that public health officials and advocates around the country find ways to help people with addiction. Making treatment accessible is crucial, especially when treatment centers, like many health-care facilities, are struggling due to the pandemic... And naloxone distributions and trainings need to continue even when gatherings are limited due to social distancing requirements."

Prevention Point Philadelphia is hosting a socially distanced CHILDREN’S HALLOWEEN PARADE! There will be a costume contest, snacks, music & some spoooooky decorations! ALL are welcome to bring their children to this free event. Volunteers, staff, children & guardians must wear protective masks and close-toe shoes at the party. We’re excited to host you at The Love Lot at Ruth & Clearfield!

We have good news! Our Drop-in Center is opening on the weekends again, Saturday and Sunday from 7am to 3pm. This means that we need a Sunday lunch provider. This can be a restaurant, catering company, a reliable group of volunteers, or any other configuration that works! If you have any tips, please email [email protected] Thank you!

Twenty-six volunteers showed up last Saturday morning to help us clean the Kensington streets. We got hundreds of syringes & gallons of trash off the ground, and had some fun in the process! Thanks to everyone for coming! The next PPP Community Cleanup is on Saturday, November 7.

The authors of the study discussed in this article calculate that people who inject drugs will lose more than seven million years of potential life to infective endocarditis over the next 10 years. This tragic amount of suffering and death is one of many reasons why harm reduction-based approaches to substance use disorder are absolutely criticalthis includes safe, reliable, legal syringe exchange programs. Our results show that an individualized, patient-centered approach to the opioid epidemic that includes expansion of harm reduction services is needed... Practically, this means meeting patients where they are and, perhaps, addressing injection technique first. Once a person changes their injection technique, the next thing to consider is injection frequency.

This sweet girl got all done up to come get a free lunch with her human today at Ruth & Clearfield! She really brightened everyone’s day and seemed quite pleased to share her pedicure tips with the community. We are excited to continue the Step Up meals site through October, Monday-Saturday, 12:30-3pm. We’re currently also offering voter registration & other voter services through HeadCount and Project HOME, and periodically we offer socks and clothing as well. COVID-19 testing continues this month on Tuesdays, and Yoga 4 Philly is still coming on Thursdays!

Congratulations to Dr. Alter, Dr. Houghton and Dr. Rice on being awarded the Nobel Prize this year for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus. Millions of lives have been saved as a result of their work, collaboration and commitment. "Hepatitis C causes serious liver disease, which can be fatal. The virus is transmitted through contaminated water and bodily fluids, including blood. The discovery led to a test for the virus, which is now widely used to protect people from beco...ming infected through blood transfusions. The discovery also led to antiviral drugs to treat the infection... The World Health Organization estimates that 71 million people worldwide have chronic hepatitis C, which can lead to liver cancer and cirrhosis. There are approximately 400,000 deaths annually from the disease, according to WHO. In the U.S., there are more than 50,000 cases of hepatitis C each year, a rate that continues to rise as the opioid epidemic endures." In fiscal year 2020, Prevention Point's Testing Department provided 785 hepatitis C tests to our patients. With the opening of our PrEP and Hep C Clinic this year, we have prescribed 26 people medication for Hep C treatment.

Look, we love our jobs but sometimes things get stressful and we need to have a little fun. Thanks Viviana, Susanna & Chad of our PrEP team for those #friYAY vibes. The PrEP Clinic is a new program added in early 2020 and coordinated by @nick.tatakis. PrEP, or Pre-exposure prophylaxis, is an HIV prevention strategy in which individuals who are HIV-negative take an anti-HIV medication once a day, every day, to reduce their risk of infection. Our awesome crew has helped 30 pati...ents get on PrEP so far! And the work is so much more than simply giving out medication. Our team builds trusting relationships with patients, helping them to navigate complex medical systems, follow up with their doctors & connect them to other crucial resources. The PrEP Clinic is another way we are meeting folks where they’re at in life & helping them reach their own self-defined goals. See more

We are now able to tell our meals guests that the Love Lot will continue to serve free, delicious lunch through October and likely until at least the end of the year. We express deep gratitude towards the William Penn Foundation for the generous grant. As always, we continue to be thankful for the hard work & steady commitment from our loving community of volunteers who keep our site vibrant, fun & functional!

We are grateful to Veronica Chappel for sharing a piece of her story with us on the last day of Recovery Month. Veronica has been on our Homeless Outreach team for nearly a year, and has already made an undeniable impact on her colleagues and the people they work with. She has been described as attentive, empathetic, hard-working and compassionate. Prevention Point, and the world, is so much better with you in it, Veronica. ........ Homeless outreach primarily supports peop...Continue reading

Our next PPP Community Cleanup is a week from tomorrow! Sign up to join us as we pick up trash and syringes around Kensington. We'd love to see you there: https://docs.google.com//1hfT3ikU4TkdTrMOSAG7CMGXGXRZ/edit

IMPORTANT: Skin contact with fentanyl does NOT cause overdose! This media trope, that you can overdose by touching fentanyl, is one of the most evidently false and it’s a myth that refuses to die. It’s not a debatable point from a scientific perspective. Dr. Leo Beletsky, Northeastern University