From grassroots to lifeline

Prevention Point started in the early 1990s when ACT UP volunteers handed out sterile syringes from card tables and car trunks during the AIDS crisis. It's now a major hub for people with substance use disorders and homelessness.

Mayor Parker cuts nearly $1 million

In 2024, Mayor Cherelle Parker eliminated nearly all city funding for Prevention Point's syringe exchange program, which had received $1.2 million annually. The city now provides zero public funding for needle distribution.

“While I'm the mayor, I will fight tooth and nail to ensure that not one city dollar is invested in the distribution of clean needles.”

Needle distribution plummets

In 2023, Prevention Point distributed 8 million syringes. For fiscal year 2025-2026, that dropped to just 1.7 million, an 79% decline. Peak distribution was 8.8 million syringes in 2022.

Research showed it saved millions

A 2019 study found that Prevention Point's syringe exchange saved Philadelphia millions of dollars in averted HIV cases. Despite this evidence, Parker's administration withheld the funding.

Medical visits surge 128%

While syringe distribution fell, Prevention Point's onsite medical visits jumped to 7,690, a 128% increase. The organization is expanding other services even as the needle program shrinks.

Opioid treatment doubles

Prevention Point provided 1,890 long-acting medication injections for opioid use disorder in the latest year, double the prior year. The organization treated 450 patients with 2,479 drug treatment visits.

HIV prevention services expand

Prevention Point administered 1,773 HIV tests, a 14% increase, and provided 1,294 PrEP prescriptions to 499 patients, a 56% increase. Long-acting injectable PrEP doses reached 951.

Narcan distribution hits 106,000

Prevention Point distributed 106,113 doses of Narcan, the opioid overdose reversal medication, and trained 2,103 people to recognize and reverse overdoses, a 61% increase from the prior year.

Case management services jump 84%

Prevention Point case managers provided 21,056 social services, an 84% increase, and made 4,145 navigator encounters connecting participants to services. The organization is deepening support for vulnerable populations.

Safe haven for chronic homelessness

Prevention Point collaborates with the city health department, Project HOME, and Warren E. Smith to run Philly Home at Girard, a low-barrier shelter offering beds and wraparound medical and behavioral health services for chronically homeless people.

Beacon House emergency shelter

Prevention Point also operates Beacon House, an emergency shelter with onsite case management in Kensington. The organization provides multiple layers of support beyond syringe exchange.

The funding paradox

Prevention Point expanded most services while losing syringe exchange funding, but the needle program's 79% decline raises concerns about HIV transmission among people who inject drugs. The organization declined further comment on the contraction.