Prevention Point spokesperson Cari Feiler Bender told NPR there are “never enough resources” to help people experiencing addiction in Philadelphia. Now that more people are surviving fentanyl and other drug overdoses, the need is rising. Rachel Wisniewski for NPR
Prevention Point Philadelphia was featured on national NPR in a story about the drop in overdose deaths in the U.S.
“Prevention Point contributed to the drop in deaths in Philadelphia by providing free healthcare and by distributing more than 100,000 free doses of naloxone, also known as Narcan, to people who use drugs last year. The medication reverses most opioid overdoses, including from fentanyl.”
Cari Feiler Bender, spokesperson for Prevention Point Philadelphia, and President of Relief Communications was quoted in the piece: “You can come in any time, you don’t need an appointment,” Feiler Bender said during a tour of Prevention Point’s free clinic. “Today you need wound care? Today you need your HIV injection? Or you can just come in and get a cup of coffee and find community. Our navigators [addiction counselors] are here saying, ‘Do you want to try treatment?’ If you say no to treatment six times and they ask a seventh time and you’re ready, we’re there to support you.”
‘Not dead but … not OK.’ As fentanyl kills fewer people, survivors need help
About 30,000 fewer Americans die each year from street drugs. Survivors in one of the most drug-scarred cities say their community is trying to help, but the safety net feels dangerously thin.
