Philadelphia is addressing its opioid crisis by deploying mobile medical units to provide Medicaid-funded "street medicine" to the unhoused population.

This initiative was made possible by a recent Pennsylvania policy change, allowing the city to bill Medicaid for outreach site medicine.

Maire St. Ledger, family nurse practitioner from Project HOME's Epstein Street Medicine program, said the opioid epidemic has significantly increased homelessness in Philadelphia, and its mobile units aim to offer both essential care and dignity to unhoused people.

"There are a number of organizations that are providing medical care to people who are unhoused," said St. Ledger. "But we're the only team that we know of providing primary care. So, there are a lot of people that will go out with vans who will do point-of-care testing for HIV, for example. There's another van that just does wound care, but we do all of that."

St. Ledger highlighted the program's significant impact on participants -- aiming to improve medical outcomes, build trust, and enhance access to health-care and support services with holistic, trauma-informed and harm-reduction care.

She noted a few years ago, MPOX spread rapidly, but collaboration with the local health department and community partners helped prevent further spread through vaccination.

St. Ledger said they rely heavily on their outreach teams to build relationships with the participants, which helps the mobile unit assist people by providing them with resources.

"They try to engage with patients or with people who were unhoused," said St. Ledger. "It might just be, in the beginning, bringing them some water, bringing them clean socks or a blanket - building those relationships, getting them referred to housing, to shelters, to detox, to rehab, whatever it might be."

Dr. Judy Chertok is a Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine Physician and Associate Professor at the University
of Pennsylvania collaborating with Prevention Point Philadelphia on the Overdose Surge Response Bus, launched in the summer of 2020.

Using city data to identify overdose hotspots, the team deploys its mobile unit to provide crucial resources to the hardest-hit communities.

"We collaboratively work to do some canvassing and provide lots of harm-reduction supplies, Narcan," said Chertok, "and then, for people that are interested, they can meet with the doctor and do same day starts of medication like Buprenorphine for addiction."

Chertok said a new survey on the Mobile Overdose Response Program examines several aspects, including the general demographics of the first 237 patients.


It also analyzes housing rates, substance-use severity, and assessed for predictors of engagement and care after using the mobile unit.

"So the unit sees people for a few weeks, and then links them to ongoing care," said Chertok. "And so we try to look to see if there are any facilitators of what help someone get from this mobile space into ongoing care and stay on medication."

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.




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As the summer sun blazes, especially in the Sunshine State, it is easy to get caught up in the fun and excitement of the season. But according to health experts, staying mindful of hot weather health risks is crucial.

With searing temps causing a spike in emergency room visits for heat-related issues in some states, health experts said there are simple steps to stay cool and spot potential signs of overheating, including headaches, nausea or dizziness.

Dr. Del Carter, family medicine resident at Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, said as a general rule, people should drink at least 64 ounces of water daily, or about eight glasses, and dress for the weather.

"Long, loosefitting clothing is helpful, sunscreen is definitely helpful to protect your skin as well," Carter outlined. "Then, really just trying to stay out of the environment when it is at its worst is going to be the most helpful things."

For being in and around water, he recommended ensuring protective barriers around pools, actively monitoring kids and wearing flotation devices. It is also smart to take swimming lessons and be CPR certified to ensure safety for all.

Heatstroke requires emergency treatment. Symptoms and signs include an altered mental state or behavior, nausea and vomiting, and a racing heart rate.

Donna O'Shea, chief medical Officer of population health for UnitedHealthcare, said virtual care is also an option for discussing symptoms with a health care professional.

"How long to wait before you go to the emergency room? Same thing, even for sunburns or for bike safety: 'Do I need to go in? Do you think I need stitches?'" O'Shea explained. "We don't think about that with virtual care, but the technology is really good."

O'Shea added among the benefits of virtual care is the ability to connect to someone for help 24/7, and most insurers offer it at no additional cost, including some of her company's plans.


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As summer kicks into full gear, North Carolina dentists stressed the importance of maintaining children's dental health.

Dr. Miranda Kalaskey, a dentist in Raleigh and member of the North Carolina Dental Society, said with more outdoor activities and changing routines, dental care can often be neglected, leading to cavities and dental trauma. Her advice is for parents to keep up with preventive care and encourage healthier eating habits.

"Try to pick a healthy summer snack. That can be fruit. That can be vegetables. Just not something dry, not something processed," Kalaskey outlined. "And the more processed you have, the more dried it is, the more likely it is to stick to their teeth."

She pointed out left-behind food can cause cavities. Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among children in the U.S., with more than half of eight-year-olds having had at least one cavity in their baby teeth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Warmer weather also means more outdoor play. Kalaskey highlighted the rise in dental trauma cases during the summer because of increased outdoor play and sports activities.

"Oftentimes, kids are going and playing basketball, and sometimes high schools are really good about, 'Hey, here's a mouth guard,' or 'You need to get a mouth guard for practice,'" Kalaskey noted. "But during the summer, a lot of times kids will play with other kids, which is great, but making sure they're aware that tooth trauma is a thing."

If a tooth gets knocked out, contact your dentist immediately. If it is after hours, she suggested the ToothSOS app for guidance.

She added another major key to dental hygiene for kids over the summer is a consistent schedule.

"Summer oftentimes is going to change that routine but your brushing, flossing routine does not need a change," Kalaskey recommended. "You still want to do brushing twice a day, flossing at least once a day. So kind of making sure we incorporate that, even though the kids might be waking up at 10 o'clock."

Kalaskey emphasized routine is also important for dental visits. She advised children should be seen by a dentist when they get their first tooth and then every six months afterward. In addition to keeping teeth healthy, she stressed it also builds a good relationship with dental visits in the long term.


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A Virginia community health center is part of a program addressing food scarcity.

The National Association of Community Health Centers' 2024 Innovation Incubator creates ways to expand healthy food access. Tri-Area Community Health Center's Laurel Fork location will have funding and guidance from experts to help them design and test community-based solutions.

Merrill Warschoff Press, senior vice president of partnership, development and innovation for the National Association of Community Health Centers, said the centers are uniquely suited to address local food issues.

"Health centers are highly effective and innovated with integrated models of care," Press explained. "They reach far beyond the walls of the traditional exam room, not only to prevent illness and treat it but to really address the social drivers that may cause poor health."

Food insecurity has grown since pandemic-era programs ended in 2023. Emergency allotments provided SNAP recipients with an added $95 per month for 470,000 families statewide. However, some people are above or below SNAP's qualifying threshold.

Other issues stem from food prices. The Consumer Price Index shows food prices grew between 2022 and 2023 but in recent months, prices have been declining.

A primary goal of the Innovation Incubator is to discover best practices for providing care for millions of people and share them with health centers nationwide. Press noted the methods being worked out can help varying populations.

"There are many health centers who have large populations of patients who come from other countries and are used to certain foods, and have different preferences," Press observed. "Being able to work with them in their own language with the foods that they like and trust is really valuable to improving access to food that'll make a difference in their lives."

Food pantries have been key to reducing food insecurity wherever possible. Virginia food banks saw a 5% to 10% increase in demand at the end of 2022, which is problematic since food banks nationwide are seeing donations decline and reduced commodities from the Emergency Food Assistance Program.