PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — On November 21, 22, and 23, 2022, Crossroads Community Health Program hosted its first-holiday giveaway, consisting of 45 gift baskets, which included a 10-pound turkey and an array of traditional “sides” found at traditional Thanksgiving dinners. The program was held at the Center’s clinics located at 504 South Street, 2820 West Girard Avenue, and 2307 North Broad Street. The recipients of the baskets were selected community residents and patients enrolled in Crossroads’ Community Health Program.
The Community Health Program was created in Philadelphia, as a part of Governor Tom Wolf’s “Centers of Excellence” initiative in 2016 and is aimed at addressing the state’s rising crisis related to the use of opioids and other legal and illegal drugs. The governor’s position is that “Centers of Excellence have proved themselves to be a critical part of our efforts to improve treatment for people suffering with opioid use disorders. It is critical that we continue to do everything we can to combat this epidemic and, with these centers, individuals suffering from OUD (opioid use disorders) have access to treatment in their communities for the whole person, instead of just the disease.”
Structured in keeping with the University of Pennsylvania’s IMPaCT (Individualized Management for Patient-Centered Targets) model, the Community Health Program identifies how patients may be impacted by the social determinants of health in their neighborhoods and works to resolve such issues. Additionally, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania Health System have partnered with Philadelphia community members and health system leadership to develop a dynamic, evidence-based, nationally recognized model.
Part of that process demanded that Crossroads create Community Health Professionals, comprised of members of its management staff, charged with engaging the company’s most vulnerable patients by assisting them in eliminating obstacles that currently prevent them from getting the treatment they require and deserve.
As Jessica Pointer, the manager for Crossroads program, commented, “The Community Health Professionals canvas our communities, attend meetings and programs, and partner with organizations to connect patients to resources of which they may not be aware. They have a special ability to bring information to people and places where it is needed most. Our program is driven by those “frontline agents of change.”
Working well beyond the treatment standards, the team is empowered to close previously unaddressed gaps, customizing courses of treatment based on the specific needs and requirements of the individual client. As a result, they are able to refer clients to resources and connective services that ensure their journey towards recovery will be as free as possible from impediments. This is especially significant when attempting to improve the outcomes for high-risk clients.
Crossroads is committed to helping people to recover from their addictions and to regain control of their lives. In that regard, Crossroads closed out this week’s holiday celebrations by having staff and managers volunteer to assist at ODAAT’s Reverend Henry T. Wells and Chief Rooney Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner. The dinner is an annual event, now in its 23rd year, and was held at the ODAAT AFCOM Center. Featured at the event were master of ceremonies Evangelist Chip Mitchell, a special performance by Soldiers for Recovery, and a host of civic-minded, socially conscious, supporters and volunteers.