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Prevention Point Philadelphia

An organization providing comprehensive services to people who use drugs, including routine medical care, a syringe service program, overdose prevention, and access to medications for opioid use disorder

Prevention Point Philadelphia is a non-profit organization providing treatment and harm reduction services to Philadelphia and the surrounding area and aims to promote health, empowerment, and safety for communities affected by drug use and poverty. Some of the comprehensive services provided include:

  • Syringe service program where participants are also encouraged to connect to a case manager
  • The Stabilization Treatment and Engagement Program (STEP) provides buprenorphine and extended-release naltrexone
  • Connections to resources for housing, food, clothing, and health insurance
  • Routine medical care, including wound care and testing for infectious diseases
  • Legal assistance twice a week by the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania
  • Naloxone distribution and overdose prevention and reversal training

A complete list of services is listed here and more detail on the program can be found in their handbook. 

Providing buprenorphine through the STEP program showed good retention in treatment for a complex set of patients.

Continuum of Care
Treatment
Harm Reduction
Type of Evidence
Peer-reviewed
Response Approach
Comprehensive services
Housing, Education, and Employment
Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
Overdose prevention
Syringe service program / Needle exchange
Peer-reviewed Article
Description and Outcomes of a Buprenorphine Maintenance Treatment Program Integrated Within Prevention Point Philadelphia, an Urban Syringe Exchange Program
Evaluation of Prevention Point Philadelphia's Overdose Prevention Program
Related Resources
A Systematic Review of Harm Reduction Strategies
Choice Matters: Housing Models that May Promote Recovery for Individuals and Families Facing Opioid Use Disorder
Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Save Lives
Opioid Use Disorder: Barriers to Medicaid Beneficiaries’ Access to Treatment Medications
Medication-Assisted Treatment With Buprenorphine: Assessing the Evidence
The Role of Community Health Centers in Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
SAMHSA Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit
Infectious Diseases and Opioid Use Disorder
The Intersection of Hepatitis, HIV, and the Opioid Crisis: The Need for a Comprehensive Response

Evidence of Program Effectiveness

Evaluation of the STEP program which reveals good retention in treatment for a complex set of patients: "Comorbidities were common: 33% had HIV infection, most reported anxiety (78%) or depression (71%), and 20% were homeless...the percentage of patients retained in treatment at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months was 77%, 65%, 59%, and 56%, respectively. Among those retained, the percentage with a positive buprenorphine screen at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months was 88%, 100%, 96%, and 95%, respectively. The percentage with a positive opiates screen was 19%, 13%, 17%, and 16%, respectively." (Bachhuber et al., 2018)