Philadelphia’s first Narcan Near Me tower/kiosk has been installed outside of the Blackwell Regional Library at 52nd and Sansom, as part of the City’s new initiative to provide free access to life-saving naloxone and other opioid overdose reversal supplies.

The newly installed kiosk, supplied by Canadian firm Dispension, Inc., gives a 24-hour seven days a week access to Narcan. People can anonymously receive Narcan and other supplies, such as gloves, face shields and instructions on how to administer the medication. The kiosk contains 22 overdose prevention kits – each of them contains two doses of Narcan. To get access to an overdose prevention kit, all you need to do is tap the touch screen on the front of the machine. The kiosk can also connect to 911 in the case of an emergency. Continue Reading

PEC staff member James Wright at a pop-up food distribution event (Photo courtesy of PEC)

People’s Emergency Center (PEC) staff are distributing free food and hosting the Penn Medicine COVID-19 mobile testing unit at 39th and Baring Streets on Thursdays this month (Jan. 13, Jan. 20, and Jan. 27).

Neighborhood residents are welcome to come by for a fresh box of produce and testing. The events are part of PEC’s work with the community to improve health outcomes for everyone. To learn more about the Penn Medicine mobile testing unit, run by Dr. Antonio Dávila Jr., click here.

Food distribution begins at 10 a.m. and continues while supplies last. The mobile testing unit will be onsite from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

As the number of COVID-19 cases has skyrocketed in Philadelphia in the past few weeks,  the demand for testing remains very high. To help ease this demand, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is opening a new mass COVID-19 testing site in Southwest Philadelphia. The site, located at the Cibotti Rec Center at 7700 Elmwood Ave., has a soft opening today and will officially open this Friday, Jan. 7. The hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The site has the capacity to administer about 500 tests per day, according to an announcement by Philadelphia Public Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole.

To find other COVID-19 testing sites in the city, please go to this page. If you want to keep up with COVID-19 testing and case numbers in the city, visit this page.

As COVID-19 cases continue to surge in the city, public health officials remind Philadelphians to get vaccinated against the virus or get a booster shot if you were vaccinated at least six months ago. Besides CVS and Rite Aid stores, West Philly residents can get vaccinated against COVID at a number of city-run pop-up clinics:

By appointment:

COVID-19 vaccine is available by appointment only at Health Center 4 located at 4400 Haverford Ave. Appointments can be scheduled for Monday or Tuesday only, between 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.. To make an appointment, please call 215.685.2933. Continue Reading

As COVID-19 continues its yet another surge in the city, all Philadelphia-area restaurants, eateries and bars will begin requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for eating and/or drinking in their indoor establishments starting next month, Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole announced today. All restaurant workers also must be vaccinated.

The plan’s rollout will begin on Monday, Jan. 3 and will initially also allow a recent negative COVID-19 test from patrons (made within the last 24 hours), to be able to be served at a restaurant or bar. However, starting Jan. 17, the negative test will no longer be accepted by restaurants for most patrons. The exception includes children younger than 5 and people with valid medical or religious exemptions. Continue Reading

Many Philadelphia residents who have been vaccinated against COVID are eligible to get a booster dose, according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

The following groups who received the second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago are recommended to receive a booster dose:

• People who are 65+ years old or those who live in a nursing home.

• People between 18 and 64 years old with underlying medical conditions that may put them at risk of developing serious complications from COVID-19 or those who work in higher risk jobs, like healthcare workers, teachers or in other higher-risk institutional or occupational settings. Continue Reading