Merakey – Police Assisted Diversion (PAD)
Title: Decriminalization and Harm Reduction: Merakey PAD’s Efforts in Kensington
Student Interns:
Hannah Ghamsari, MPH
Drexel University College of Medicine
Ryan Keithley, MS
Drexel University College of Medicine
Academic Preceptor:
Annette B. Gadegbeku, MD
Drexel University College of Medicine
Community Preceptor:
David Malloy, MSW
Merakey
Community Site:
Merakey provides recovery services to help people struggling with substance use disorder. The Merakey – Police Assisted Diversion (PAD) program works in collaboration with the Office of Public Safety, the Philadelphia Police Department, and various other social service providers to divert people from the criminal justice system. Merakey staff works collaboratively with the Office of Homeless Services, Community Legal Services, Benephilly, A New Day for Human Trafficking, and Penn Medicine to deliver services. Merakey also offers a Mobile Methadone Unit to give patients immediate access to Methadone for 14 days before connecting them to outside clinics for long-term care. Merakey’s mobile team supports the local Kensington community to address immediate needs and promote harm reduction practices.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps interns worked in Merakey PAD’s walk-in resource center and the Neighborhood Wellness Court, in collaboration with Penn Medicine. Interns assisted with registering clients, connecting people with the various organizations on-site, and completing assessments and intake for outpatient and inpatient treatment options. Through the Neighborhood Wellness Court, interns helped the medical clearance team address clients’ medical and social needs before they participated in the court program. The interns learned about the evolving drug supply in Philadelphia, how to communicate and connect with people with substance use disorder, the organizations involved in harm reduction efforts in the city, and how to address the common medical complications of substance use and associated withdrawal.
Reflections
My time at Merakey has shown me what harm reduction really looks like in practice. I have been so impressed by how staff builds strong rapport by meeting people where they are and helping them access support and resources without judgment or shame. It has been great to see how the expansive resources offered by Merakey are so well utilized by community members each day. Having same-day treatment, housing, and benefits assistance is so crucial, and it is impressive to see how efficiently this team operates. However, during this time, I have also seen how detrimental the lack of continuity of care can be as individuals navigate transitions between healthcare, housing, and the criminal legal system. While Merakey frequently addresses immediate barriers, the system has a long way to go in providing the robust social safety nets that vulnerable populations deserve. This experience has allowed me to reflect on how necessary it is to decriminalize substance use and mental health disorders, and I am grateful for the many insights I will carry into my future career.
Hannah Ghamsari
Working with Merakey PAD and the Neighborhood Wellness Court has been an extremely influential part of my medical education. I have been able to learn valuable information about working with people with substance use disorder and the ways that peer navigators, social workers, nurses, and doctors can collaborate to assist people with harm reduction and their recovery journey. This experience was unique in being able to work with one of Philadelphia’s most vulnerable populations and combine it with education that is relevant to medical school, such as wound care skills and treatment plans. I truly believe that the work done through Merakey has been a pathway that is beneficial to the Kensington community while trying to separate from the criminalization of substance use, and I hope it continues to evolve in a positive direction for the neighborhood in the same way we have seen during our time here. While Merakey PAD and the Neighborhood Wellness Court are still in the process of finding a balanced position in the system, the experience has changed my professional outlook and steered me towards working with this patient population in the future as a physician.
Ryan Keithley
