Health news in Kensington, Philadelphia — covering the opioid crisis, addiction and recovery, mental health, harm reduction, healthcare access and food resources.
A very long chart for a very long process.
Arts & Culture
Artist Victor Sgro, who is in recovery, said he hopes his mural inspires others who are still struggling with opioid addiction.
Accountability
Prison staff say the staffing shortage makes it impossible to deliver timely, high-quality care for the approximately 4,700 people incarcerated in Philadelphia’s jails daily – a majority of whom present with substance use disorder.
Accountability
In the weeks since the city dismantled the Kensington Avenue encampment, legal observers, harm reduction advocates, and service providers are wondering why the police gave Christian volunteers more access than others.
Accountability
While open drug use in Kensington continues to make national headlines, Philadelphia health workers say the city’s Black residents are quietly overdosing from cocaine, opiates, and other substances at unprecedented rates inside their homes.
Accountability
Some residents feel safer, while others say the spillover from the sweep and increased police presence has caused problems on side streets.
Accountability
Following an encampment sweep on the 3000 and 3100 blocks of Kensington Avenue Wednesday, police have flooded the area, leading residents and activists to wonder when a law enforcement crackdown is coming
Accountability
When outreach workers arrived, the people staying in tents and structures on the 3000-3100 blocks of Kensington Avenue were gone.
Accountability
No city social services were present when police dispersed the encampments despite promises from city leaders that the initiative would be “service-led.”
Accountability
On Wednesday, social service providers and police officers will tell people living in tents or makeshift structures on Kensington Avenue’s 3000 and 3100 blocks to relocate.
Accountability
In some cases, people are connected to long-term recovery programs at Christian facilities that don’t provide evidence-based care, including required unpaid labor or “work therapy.”
Health & Wellness
During Tuesday’s primary, the 7th and 33rd Wards, which include Fairhill, Harrowgate, and Kensington, remained the two wards with the lowest voter turnout in Philadelphia.
Accountability
While Philly's police commissioner said the first phase will begin after an encampment sweep scheduled for May 8, the city’s managing director said “we don’t have enough beds” to offer those who need addiction treatment and related services.
Accountability
The law would create grants to assist hospitals in hiring Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, or SANE nurses, but it remains unfunded by the state.
Accountability
Deputy Police Commissioner Pedro Rosario wants to send the Philadelphia Police Department’s “best out of the best” to Kensington
Accountability
State law requires Pennsylvania hospitals to provide rape kit exams on site. Still, Philly's three largest hospital systems have protocols for transferring sexual assault survivors to a facility that is co-located with law enforcement, receives no city funding, and is about $400,000 under budget.
Accountability
The 761-page document mentions Kensington a total of 16 times – more than any other neighborhood, including Center City.
Accountability
During the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce’s annual Mayoral Luncheon last week, Mayor Cherelle Parker voiced her support for 7th District Councilwoman Quetcy Lozada and offered attendees another glimpse into her plans for Kensington.
El espacio ofrecerá varios servicios, incluyendo prevención de violencia armada y sobredosis, y un “centro de mensajes” donde la gente puede hacer y recibir llamadas y recolectar mensajes de casa.
Small Business
The Sunshine House will offer various services, including gun violence and overdose prevention, and a “messaging center” where people can make and receive calls and collect messages from home.
Accountability
For some in Kensington and Harrowgate, the “triage” idea demonstrates “actions that match the gravity of our situation.”
Housing & Shelter
The operation was a drug and firearm seizure through the attorney general's office, according to spokesperson Brett Hambright.
Community Life
In a statement released on Friday, Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole announced she is stepping down from her post effective Feb. 15.
Accountability
A coalition of City Council members who have described themselves as “the Kensington caucus” say they’re working to create a “triage” system for people who are unhoused and living with addiction in the neighborhood.
