Tri-Co Philly: Philadelphia’s Opioid Crisis: Causes, Consequences, and Interventions Community Engagement and Social Responsibility
This course will draw on direct student engagement and the experience of community partners—including medical practitioners, harm reduction activists, politicians, journalists, people who use drugs, and affected communities—to interrogate the causes and consequences of drug overdose.
This course will draw on direct student engagement and the experience of community partners—including medical practitioners, harm reduction activists, politicians, journalists, people who use drugs, and affected communities—to interrogate the causes and consequences of drug overdose.
HLTH 233 | Thursday 10:05 a.m.-2:35 p.m./Friday 12:15-3 p.m.
Anne Montgomery
Opioid-related fatalities are said to represent the deadliest drug crisis in American history. In 2016, drug overdose killed approximately 64,000 people, making it the leading cause of death in Americans under 50. Philadelphia has among the highest overdose death rates in large US counties, and the city government has called this “the greatest public health crisis in a century.” Philadelphia is also poised to become first in the US to open a safe injection site for opioid use, despite opposition from the federal government. Taught in Philadelphia as part of the Tri-Co Philly Program, this course will draw on direct student engagement and the experience of community partners—including medical practitioners, harm reduction activists, politicians, journalists, people who use drugs, and affected communities—to interrogate the causes and consequences of drug overdose. We will also critically analyze political debates about how to respond to the crisis. The course is interdisciplinary and highlights three main lenses through which to analyze the crisis: public health and medical science, values and politics, and social justice and principles of ethical engagement. Students are expected to commit an average of three hours per week to a community placement that addresses the overdose crisis. In the past, students have volunteered with Prevention Point, Pathways to Housing, SOL Collective, and Project SAFE, as well as with the department of health, addiction clinics, and emergency rooms.