Title
Recognizing and Honoring Prevention Point Philadelphia on the Occasion of its 25th Anniversary.
Body
WHEREAS, Prevention Point Philadelphia began syringe exchange operations in North Philadelphia in 1991. At the time, the possession of syringes were illegal in the City of Philadelphia. Prevention Point Philadelphia, as a grassroots organization, lobbied then-Mayor Ed Rendell to issue Executive Order No. 4-92, which instituted a "city-wide sterile syringe exchange program" to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic, on July 27, 1992. Prevention Point Philadelphia was thus officially established as the City's only sterile syringe exchange program, which remains the case today; and
WHEREAS, In Philadelphia, 24% of AIDS cases among women and 17% of AIDS cases among men are the result of shared needles or of sex with an infected injection drug user. The most vulnerable members of society are disproportionately affected by the injection-related spread of HIV. Particularly vulnerable are women of color. Although African-American women make up only 12% of women in the U.S., they account for 50% of IDU-related AIDS cases among women. Similarly, Latina women account for 25% of injection-related AIDS cases among women, but only 10% of all women in the United States. Philadelphia residents are at five times the rate of the national population for HIV infection; and
WHEREAS, Over the past 25 years, Prevention Point Philadelphia has provided an ever-expanding list of services to the community while upholding its original duties. Focused on harm reduction in all facets of its services, Prevention Point Philadelphia offers the following services: syringe exchange, free medical care, medication assisted treatment, HIV/HCV testing, case management, a drop-in center, a legal clinic, overdose prevention and reversal training, free meals, mail services for the homeless, linkage to drug treatment services, a wound care clinic, and housing services; and
WHEREAS, Through prog...
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