Opioids in Philadelphia: The Obstacles and Opportunities in Addressing a Public Health Crisis

Posted by University of Pennsylvania on August 21, 2017

Drug overdoses killed 907 people in Philadelphia in 2016, three times the number of homicides. Eighty percent of these involved an opioid, including heroin and fentanyl. Thousands of non-fatal overdoses also occurred, burdening the city’s first responders and emergency departments. And still thousands more have a substance use disorder or are at risk from their ongoing use. This talk will discuss the opioid epidemic in Philadelphia, focusing on the epidemiology of opioid use and overdose, the recommendations from the Mayor’s Task Force, and the public health opportunities to overcome the many challenges in this crisis. Thursday, September 21, 201712:00-1:30 PM

Bodek Lounge in Houston Hall
3417 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

Lunch Provided

Jeffrey Hom is a policy advisor in the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, where he provides guidance to the Health Commissioner on programs and policies related to the wellbeing of all Philadelphians. His present focus is on substance use, in particular issues around access to treatment and overdose prevention. He is also a board-certified internist and cares for patients at the Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Jeff has contributed to health care and public health efforts in San Francisco, Boston, and Shiprock, New Mexico, as well as internationally in Lesotho and Cambodia, all of which have deepened his desire to improve community well-being, pursue health equity and advance social justice. For his efforts he was selected as a Zuckerman Fellow at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership and received a 2016 Presidential Scholarship for AcademyHealth’s Institute on Advocacy and Public Policy.

A native San Franciscan, Jeff completed his undergraduate education with a degree in Art History at Bowdoin College. He received his MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health and his MD from Harvard Medical School prior to completing his residency in internal medicine primary care at the University of California, San Francisco. Jeff was most recently a fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained his Masters of Science in Health Policy Research.

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