NHC Philly: PrEP’ing for a Public Health Profession

Strawberry Mansion Health Center is unique among the Philadelphia Department of Public Health centers for two main reasons. First, it is the only Health Center with a name; although officially designated as Health Center 12, it is called ‘Strawberry Mansion’ after the historic neighborhood in Northwest Philadelphia where the health center is located. The second aspect that makes Strawberry Mansion particularly unique is that it is home to a CDC-funded study focused on a HIV-prevention program entitled The Sustainable Health Center Implementation PrEP Pilot Study.

PrEP, which stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, is a means of preventing HIV-infection by taking a daily pill called Truvada. When used consistently, PrEP decreases the chance of infection by more than 90% [1]. This is an incredibly useful tool in preventative medicine and the PrEP Program offers an excellent example of a public health program that reduces barriers to health—it is accessible, confidential and flexible for interested patients. For example, while the PrEP Team works to bring in patients for the SHIP study all over Philadelphia, if any patient decides not to participate in the program study, they are still able to receive PrEP completely free at any of the Health Centers. The PrEP Program also offers patients enrolled in the program the skills and resources necessary to prevent HIV-transmission. Further, the PrEP Team educates patients on health promotion and disease prevention through their “Pillow Talk” discussion forums and assists patients with their health management strategies via direct outreach and adherence monitoring.

Through serving as the Patient Advocate at Strawberry Mansion Health Center, I have developed a greater understanding for the public health field. In particular I have come to understand the determinants and barriers to health in this particular urban community. In addition, I’ve been exposed to a number of programs aimed at expanding access to improve health within the community, specifically through my role assisting uninsured and underinsured patients attain prescription medications.

However, it has explicitly been this unique opportunity assisting with the PrEP Team that has provided me with a holistic viewpoint of the many aspects and practical skills necessary to implement a successful and collaborative program in improving community health. National Health Corps Philadelphia has provided me an amazing opportunity to work closely with this unique program, assisting with the PrEP Team Instagram account (Follow us!! @prepteamphl), conducting one-on-one interviews with patients about their experiences on PrEP, and enrolling eligible patients in prescription savings programs to cover the cost of Truvada as PrEP. These experiences from my service term with National Health Corps have provided me with invaluable public health skills and an increased knowledge about the community health field. Whatever public health profession I may pursue, my unique experience at my uniquely-named host site has developed these competencies and absolutely PrEP’ed me for my future career.

[1] http://www.phila.gov/health/ambulatoryhealth/prep.html
 

This blog post was written by NHC Philadelphia member Ellie Malfaro.
Ellie serves as a Patient Advocate at Philadelphia Department of Public Health-Ambulatory Health Services: Strawberry Mansion Health Center.