Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Social and Community Health Commons (SCHC)

Ways to get involved in our community now

Please explore opportunities to engage with community health below. 

Prevention Point Philadelphia

About: Prevention Point is a public health organization that focuses on harm reduction strategies with drug users and sex workers. This includes a needle exchange, empowerment programming, and HIV/Hepatitis C care.

How to get involved: If you are a first-year medical student, you can participate in Bridging the Gaps in between your first and second year, with PP being one of the clinical sites available. You can also do a clinical rotation at PP as a third year medical student. You can also volunteer at PP by contacting them directly.

Contact: Email Clayton Ruley (clayton@ppponline.org) if you would like to volunteer. If you would to participate in the Bridging the Gaps summer program, contact Ellen Martinak (martinak@upenn.edu)

Student Contact: Julie Carney, julia.carney@uphs.upenn.edu Bridging the Gaps Summer Intern, 2017

Website: https://ppponline.org/

Address: 2913 Kensington Ave, Philadelphia, 19134

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Philadelphia FIGHT

About: Philadelphia FIGHT is an HIV/AIDS clinic and nonprofit organization that helps those who are impacted by HIV as well as those at high risk for HIV. They have two clinics, one for HIV positive and one for HIV negative patients. FIGHT also has a behavioral health branch, a drug treatment branch, an advocacy branch, and a branch that focuses on youth.  

How to get involved: As a third-year medical student, you get time at the Lax Center through the HIV Outpatient elective. Philadelphia FIGHT is also a Bridging the Gaps site.

Contact: The general e-mail is fight@fight.org. However, depending on which aspect of the Health Center you want to work for, there are several different contacts available. The physicians at the Lax Center (HIV) are Penn faculty, so you can contact them directly for shadowing or volunteer opportunities:  Dr. Karam Mounzer, Dr. Laura Banford, and Dr. JJ Nunez. 

Websitehttps://fight.org/

Address: 1233 Locust Street, Philadelphia 19107

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Mazzoni Center

About: Mazzoni Center is a clinic that provides culturally-competent primary care, with a focus on the LGBT community.

How to get involved: You can get involved volunteering at the clinic as well as through their community outreach programs, which focus on HIV prevention and care.

Contact: https://www.mazzonicenter.org/donate-now/volunteer-opportunities

Website: https://www.mazzonicenter.org/

Address: 1348 Bainbridge StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19147

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Sayre Health Center

About: Sayre Health Center provides health care to West Philadelphia residents and partners with Sayre High School to mentor high school students.

How to get involved: Students typically help work with Sayre high school students who train to become Medical Assistants. Volunteers can work as mentors to these students, as well as help teach them basic medical skills.

Contact: Contact Dr. Kent Bream, the medical director at Sayre, Bream@mail.med.upenn.edu

Website: http://www.sayrehealth.org/

Address: 5800 Walnut Street, Philadelphia 19139

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Covenant House

About: Covenant House is a shelter for homeless youth age 16-21 that provides housing, food, education and job support, street outreach, mental health services, and a weekly medical clinic. 

How to get involved: There are two ways to be involved in Covenant House. The first is to sign up for non-clinical activity nights on Wednesdays (spreadsheet will be mailed out by student leaders); this is open to any year student. The second is to apply (in late fall of your first year) to be a clinic leader, which involves organizing activity nights as well as working directly with Dr. Ginsburg in the Cov House clinic 1-2 Fridays per month. These positions are held for 1 year from January of first year to December of 2nd year.  

Contact: Faculty mentor: Dr. Ken Ginsburg

Website: https://www.covenanthousepa.org/

Address: 31 E Armat St, Philadelphia, PA 19144

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Bridging the Gaps

About: Bridging the Gaps is a city-wide, interprofessional organization that links the education of students in the health and social service professions with the provision of health-related service in economically insecure communities.  

How to get involved: There are three ways to be involved in BTG, and students may do one, two, or all. If all three completed, students graduate with an certificate in community health. (1) BTG Community Health Internship, between 1st and 2nd year (paid!) (2) BTG seminars (monthly and advertised via email) and/or (3) BTG clinical elective at either Prevention Point, Covenant House, or Living Independently for Elders (LIFE). 

Contacthttp://www.med.upenn.edu/btg/  or email coordinator Ellen Martinak (martinak@upenn.edu)

Address: various community sites throughout Philadelphia 

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House of Grace Catholic Worker Clinic

About: Free clinic in Kensington founded on the principles of radical hospitality and solidarity offering basic primary care and other basic services.

How to get involved: Volunteers serve in non-clinical roles such as intake and offering hospitality to patients. It's a truly unique healthcare environment and an amazing place to learn what true hospitality in healthcare can look like while getting to know some of the patients most marginalized by our current system. The Catholic Worker Clinic welcomes patients and volunteers from all or faith traditions (or no faith tradition) and does not engage in any religious activities.

Contact: Geoff Gusoff ggusoff@gmail.com

Address: 1813 E Hagart St, Philadephia 19125

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Project HOME

About: Project HOME is an organization that works to alleviate homelessness and poverty in Philadelphia through providing housing, career development, healthcare, and street outreach. The organization is also heavily involved in advocacy.

How to get involved: There are opportunities to get involved as an advocate and volunteer. There may also be volunteer opportunities in the Stephen Klein Wellness Clinic, an FQHC that serves the homeless and formerly homeless. 

Contact: Email at Vcoordinator@projecthome.org

Website:  https://projecthome.org

Address: 1515 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia (Stephen Klein Wellness clinic located at 2144 Cecil B. Moore Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19121)

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Project SAFE

About: An all-volunteer grassroots organization providing advocacy and support for women working in the sex and drug trades on the streets of Philadelphia. 

How to get involved: Volunteers provide safe sex supplies, distribute bad date sheets (descriptions of men who have attacked women while they were working), make referrals, and provides support (filing police reports, accompanying to the hospital, etc.)

Contact: Email safephila@gmail.com

Website:  https://projectsafephilly.org/

Address: various community sites 

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The Bethesda Project

About: The Bethesda Project provides shelter, housing, and programs reaching out to chronically homeless men and women.

How to get involved: Volunteering at the Bethesda Project would involve helping at the shelter and organizing activities for the residents.

Contact: Fill out an application at this site: http://www.bethesdaproject.org/get-involved/volunteer

Website: https://www.bethesdaproject.org/

Address: 1630 South Street, Philadelphia 19146

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Dance for Health

About: Dance for Health is a program run by Terri Lipman, a professor at the School of Nursing. She goes to West Philadelphia communities with community members and encourages healthy physical activity through dance classes.

How to get involved: Volunteer to help run dance classes. Addition current initiatives include a mentorship program with West Philadelphia youth in order to create longitudinal relationships beyond the dance classes. 

Contact: Email Erika Dawson at edawson@upenn.edu to get involved

Address: various Philadelphia community sites

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Achilles International, Philadelphia chapter

About: Achilles International organizes group workouts with disabled athletes and guides, allowing disabled athletes workout in a safe and fun environment.

How to get involved: Volunteers can serve as guides for workouts. 

Website at http://www.phillyachilles.com/ or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PhillyAchilles/

Address: Philly Achilles meets at 9AM every Saturday at 1601 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia 19192. 

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Nationalities Service Center

About: NSC provides comprehensive services to immigrants and refugees, including legal protections, community integration, access to health and wellness services, and opportunities to achieve English language proficiency.

How to get involved: Classroom ESL teaching, in-home tutoring programs, health and wellness activity instructors. There may be additional opportunities for medical students to assist refugees who are here seeking medical care for their children.

Contact: Volunteer application here: https://nscphila.org/how-you-can-help/get-involved/volunteer/volunteer-application 

Website: https://nscphila.org/

Address: 1216 Arch Street, 4th Floor, Philadelphia 19107

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Partners in Health Engage, Philadelphia Chapter

About: Partners in Health (PIH) is a global justice organization focused on bringing quality healthcare to the world's poor. PIH Engage is a branch of PIH that works for advocate, educate, and generate resources for PIH's local and global projects. Philadelphia's PIH Engage Chapter provides a space for students and practitioners interested in health justice to convene, learn, and advocate together.

How to get involved: Participants meet monthly for educational and action meetings (1 hour book club style on a global health justice article and 1 hour of action planning for advocacy or community events). There are also social gatherings and fundraising efforts to support PIH efforts. PIH Engage also partners with local activist organizations to promote health justice in Philadelphia. 

Contact: pihengage.philly@gmail.com 

Websitehttp://engage.pih.org/

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Physicians for Social Responsibility

About: PSR is a national organization that unites health professionals to address public health inequity. They focus on health advocacy, violence prevention and youth mentoring, and environmental action. There is a local Philadelphia chapter.

How to get involved: Volunteer opportunities here: http://psrphila.org/opportunities/  

Contact: http://psrphila.org/contact-us/  (267) 519-5299 or email: info@psrphila.org

Websitehttps://www.psrphila.org/

Address: 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102

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Urban Tree Initiative

About: We work with residents of West Philadelphia's Haddington neighborhood, and increasingly with other low-income communities, to develop community-driven greening and gardening projects on vacant land.

How to get involved: Depending on our current priorities, volunteers might help with projects such as planting, weeding, harvesting crops, picking up trash and recycling, building raised beds or fences, clearing new garden sites, or mowing. 

Contact: Email info@urbantreeconnection.org 

Website: http://urbantreeconnection.org/index.html 

Address: 5070 Parkside Avenue, Suite 3500C, Box 48, Philadelphia 19131.

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Agatson Urban Nutrition Initiative

About: AUNI’s mission is to educate, engage and empower youth, university students and the community to promote healthy lifestyles and build a just and sustainable food system.

How to get involved: Various opportunities depending on the time of year including volunteer work days on gardens, school and senior food education programs, and youth empowerment program. 

Contact: Visit http://www.urbannutrition.org/volunteer/ for up to date volunteer opportunities. 

Website: http://www.urbannutrition.org/

Address: Housed at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, 3451 Walnut Street, Suite P-117A Philadelphia, PA 19104

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Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers: Interprofessional Student Hotspotting Learning Collaborative

About: The Interprofessional Student Hotspotting Learning Collaborative is six-month program that trains interdisciplinary teams of professional students from schools around the country to learn to work with complex medical and social needs using a patient-centered approach.

How to get involved: Students across the health professional schools can form a team of six and apply in the spring for this opportunity.

Penn Student Contacts

Medical Student Contact: Julie Carney, julia.carney@uphs.upenn.edu

Nursing Student contact: Erin Andrew, erinvwa@upenn.edu

Public Health Student Contact: Kellyacourts@gmail.com

Website: https://www.camdenhealth.org/programs/student-hotspotting/

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POWER

About:  Interfaith activist and advocacy organization promoting justice in Philadelphia especially in the areas of economic justice, criminal justice, and education

Contact: https://powerinterfaith.org/contact/

Student Contact: Geoff Gusoff, ggusoff@gmail.com

Website: https://powerinterfaith.org/

Address: 1429 N. 11th Street Philadelphia, PA 19122

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Women's Medical Fund

About: Women’s Medical Fund (WMF) protects and expands abortion access for low-income women and teens through direct service and advocacy.  

How to get involved: Women’s Medical Fund often hires work-study Access Counselors every semester.

Contact: http://womensmedicalfund.org/contact-us

Student Contact: Lauren Welch, laurenawelch@gmail.com

Website: http://www.womensmedicalfund.org

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PhilaPOSH- Labor United for Safe and Healthy Jobs

About: Philadelphia’s Occupational Safety and Health non-profit addressing safe work conditions through training and advocacy for injured workers. Along with working closely with many of the city’s unions, PhilaPOSH also works with immigrant workers, temp workers, and youth workers in the city.

How to Get Involved: There are no structured volunteer opportunities but many opportunities to partner with PhilaPOSH on occupational safety outreach, advocacy, or research; also a great resource for patients dealing with workplace safety issues

Student Contact: Geoff Gusoff, ggusoff@gmail.com

Websitehttp://www.philaposh.org/

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Friends of Farmworkers

About: Legal aid organization providing legal support for migrant workers in agriculture and landscaping; participate in a medical-legal partnership with patients at Puentes de Salud

How to Get Involved:  FoF does have summer interns but mostly from legal backgrounds; they are most helpful as a legal resource for Spanish-speaking patients, particularly those working in agriculture or landscaping

Contact: https://www.friendsfw.org/contact-us/

Student Contact: Geoff Gusoff, ggusoff@gmail.com

Website: https://www.friendsfw.org/

Address: 699 Ranstead Street, Suite 4 Philadelphia, PA 19106

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New Sanctuary Movement

About: Immigrant rights organization comprised of a network of faith communities across the Philadelphia region

How to Get Involved: Can sign up for NSMs “Sanctuary in the Streets” where you receive a text when a raid happens to respond with peaceful protest; there are other opportunities to attend actions, trainings and events or become a volunteer accompaniment partner.

Contact: See various opportunities here: http://sanctuaryphiladelphia.org/

Student Contact: Geoff Gusoff, ggusoff@gmail.com

Website: http://sanctuaryphiladelphia.org/

Address: 2601 Potter St, Philadelphia PA 1912

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Juntos

About: Juntos is a community-led, Latinx immigrant organization in South Philadelphia fighting for our human rights as workers, parents, youth, and immigrants. We believe that every human being has the right to a quality education and the freedom to live with dignity regardless of immigration status. Juntos combines leadership development, community organizing, and focused collaborations with other community-based and advocacy organizations to build the power of our community members so they may be active agents of change and work against their own oppression.

How to Get Involved: Contact the organization for various opportunities

Contact: http://vamosjuntos.org/volunteer/

Student Contact: Geoff Gusoff, ggusoff@gmail.com

Website: http://vamosjuntos.org/

Address: 600 Washington Ave, Unite 18A2, Philadelphia, PA 19147

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