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Drexel HOPE

Drexel HOPE provides high-quality, compassionate health services for opioid dependence, HIV and hepatitis C. We offer low-threshold care at reduced or no cost, which makes medical services more accessible to underserved patients. We work to advance health equity and decrease health disparities among Philadelphians. Learn more.

Family Fitness & Fun

Locations:
Eliza Shirley House Address: 216 N Broad St Philadelphia, PA 19102 (View Map)
Red Shield Center Address: 715 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19123 (View Map)

Family Fitness & Fun is a wonderful educational program for families who reside at Eliza Shirley House and Red Shield Center. Every other Wednesday, we provide this fitness and nutrition program for an hour. During these sessions, we are assistants for encouraging participation and of experience. Our key offerings include:

• Leading yoga lessons
• Nutrition games for the children
• Working with children

Financial Health Literacy

Financial Health Literacy aims to educate the community on financial literacy, recognizing the strong impact finances have on health. We hold bi-weekly interactive sessions at local libraries, such as Walnut Street Library, to introduce financial stability concepts. These workshops cover topics like budgeting, couponing, credit and debt management, and government assistance programs, with an emphasis on the connection between financial and health literacy. In addition to the library sessions, we extend our reach through education nights at HOP’s clinics and mini-courses at SLAMS. We also aim to hold educational sessions for our classmates, helping them understand the financial challenges faced by lower-income individuals and the impact this has on their future patients.

HOPtics

HOPtics promotes visual education and integrating eye care into the daily lives of individuals. The HOPtics project is dedicated to promoting visual education and integrating eye care into the daily lives of individuals, recognizing the critical role that vision plays in overall well-being. This initiative offers students the opportunity to develop clinical skills—such as history taking and basic eye screening—under the guidance of on-site physicians and health care providers, while also fostering an interest in ophthalmology. As student clinicians, we can proactively engage patients in discussions about visual health and provide them with information on accessible eye clinics within their community. Furthermore, delivering preliminary eye care is a vital component of comprehensive health care, especially for populations that have historically lacked consistent access to these services. Our understanding of accessible referral locations will also allow for more availability and continuity of health care for these communities.

Jump Into Reading

Locations:
Eliza Shirley House Address: 216 N Broad St Philadelphia, PA 19102 (View Map)
Red Shield Center Address: 715 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19123 (View Map)

Jump Into Reading is a program at Eliza Shirley House and Red Shield Center where students read with children living at the shelter. Jump Into Reading provides Drexel medical students the chance to read to young children once a week throughout the course of the year. The program takes place at the Eliza Shirley House and Red Shield Center, which are family shelters located in Philadelphia. Because these kids are going through a difficult period in their lives, we hope to provide a safe and fun environment for them and hopefully instill in them a lifelong love of reading.

Microgreens Outreach Project

Location: 3217 W Clearfield St, Philadelphia, PA 19132 (View Map)

Microgreens Outreach Project utilizes microgreens kits, a low cost, transportable superfood, to provide less nutrition-privileged communities with exposure to healthy foods within one week. Microgreens Outreach Project strives to make healthy eating behaviors easier and more convenient for less nutrition privileged communities. In doing so, we aim to lessen the overall burden of chronic disease and facilitate a connection between foods eaten and grown and health outcomes. Our dedicated team partners with community-based organizations and academic institutions to educate and equip individuals with a novel nutritional supplement that is accessible, time efficient and low-cost.

Nationalities Service Center

Location: 1216 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (View Map)

Nationalities Service Center connects recent immigrants and refugees to free or low-cost services to help them acclimate to their new home. Our students run health fairs.

Naloxone Outreach Project

Naloxone Outreach Project (NOP) involves students going into the Philadelphia community to educate and increase awareness about opioid overdose, and train in naloxone administration. Drexel University College of Medicine’s Naloxone Outreach Program empowers community members in low income, at-risk areas in North Philadelphia to save lives by reversing overdoses. Our program goals include reducing the overall number of fatal opioid overdoses, increasing education and confidence in overdose prevention and revival techniques, and increasing access to naloxone.

Skin Health Education Project

This project aims to implement the American Academy of Dermatology's (AAD) validated "Good Skin Knowledge" (GSK) education modules for children experiencing homelessness. The program will deliver 12 interactive training sessions, each focused on a key aspect of skin health — such as daily skin care, sun safety, healthy hair and nails, and understanding common skin conditions — using lesson plans and activities developed by the AAD for children aged 8-16. The modules are designed to be engaging and accessible, with the goal of increasing skin health literacy, reducing stigma, and empowering children in low-resource environments to care for their skin.

Smoking Cessation

Location: 101 E Chelten Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19144 (View Map)

Smoking Cessation provides individuals with the knowledge, skills and resources to take actionable and measurable steps forward to decrease and quit smoking. Our team works to provide individuals with the knowledge, skills and resources to take actionable and measurable steps towards quitting smoking. We work at Whosoever Gospel Mission, which houses men recovering from drug and alcohol abuse as well as The Salvation Army, a nine-month residential rehabilitation center for alcohol and substance abuse.

Street Medicine

Street Medicine is a project that serves the Kensington community by providing individuals with essential supplies, OTC medicine, wound cleaning services and more.

Stress Reduction

Location: 5725 Sprague St, Philadelphia, PA 19138 (View Map)

The Stress Reduction program is held at the DePaul House, which is a transitional home for recently homeless men. Volunteers have informal discussions with the residents and provide techniques for dealing with stress, such as breathing exercises, art, yoga, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation. Our goal is to teach and practice different stress reduction techniques with the residents, so the sessions are very calming and relaxed. Our patient population includes recently homeless men currently living in a transitional home.

Whosoever Gospel Mission

Location: 101 E Chelten Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19144 (View Map)

Whosoever Gospel Mission provides shelter, food, clothing, counseling, rehabilitation and other assistance to homeless men in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The clinic meets quarterly.