Mazzoni Center
Title: Understanding Substance Use in the LGBTQ+ Community and Key Needs for Treatment
Student Interns:
Katherine Allen
Thomas Jefferson University, College of Population Health
Academic Preceptor:
Zoë Van Orsdol, MA, MPH
Thomas Jefferson University, College of Population Health
Community Preceptor:
Devon Taylor
Director of Practice Management, Mazzoni Center
Community Site:
The Mazzoni Center, one of Philadelphia’s oldest LGBTQ+-focused health centers, provides a wide range of services designed to meet the unique needs of its community. The main site, located at Broad and Bainbridge, provides comprehensive primary care, medical case management, and behavioral health services as well as a food bank and a youth drop-in clinic. The secondary location in Washington Square West operates as a sexual health clinic offering STI testing and treatment. Mazzoni’s mission is to ensure equitable access to healthcare for all patients regardless of their income level or insurance status. Annually, the Center provides compassionate and inclusive care to more than 15,000 patients. A pressing need is a more comprehensive approach to substance use, particularly meth, and to addressing the many issues that contribute to its use.
Team’s Experience:
LGBTQ+ adults are at a higher risk of substance use and substance use disorders as compared with the general population. In particular, elevated rates of stimulant use are reported among gay and bisexual men. The Bridging the Gaps student intern gathered information from key sources such as care providers, patient records, professional literature, internal and external resource lists, and patient interviews to address the issue. With this information, the intern developed a proposal to improve and streamline the Center’s substance use screening protocol and update treatment referral resources, with the goals of reducing the barriers to treatment and mitigating progression to more serious health conditions.
Reflections
“Bridging the Gaps was a valuable learning experience for me in that I saw firsthand the difficulties and inequities that the LGBTQ+ community faces in obtaining compassionate and comprehensive services. If Mazzoni did not exist, it would be far worse. My experience at Mazzoni taught me how important it is to have as many services as possible available under one roof. However, it also taught me that, in some cases, treatment is only a stopgap measure if other needs such as homelessness, joblessness, long-term mental health services, etc. are unable to be addressed. For me, gaining deep clarity on the gaps in community services was just as important as understanding the commitment that Mazzoni has to the LGBTQ+ community.”
Katherine Allen