Congratulating Director Keli McLoyd, Noelle Foizen, and the Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity on the success of the Overdose Prevention and Awareness Canvassing Program, which has knocked on over one hundred thousand doors in Philadelphia, and for earning recognition from The White House for its innovative and evidence-based public health approach to combating the overdose crisis.

Congratulating Director Keli McLoyd, Noelle Foizen, and the Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity on the success of the Overdose Prevention and Awareness Canvassing Program, which has knocked on over one hundred thousand doors in Philadelphia, and for earning recognition from The White House for its innovative and evidence-based public health approach to combating the overdose crisis. WHEREAS, Philadelphia has seen a drastic shift in demographics of overdose fatalities, disproportionately impacting Philadelphia’s communities of color. Between 2018 and 2022, the number of overdose fatalities increased 87% and 43% among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic individuals; and WHEREAS, In response to this alarming rise, the Overdose Response Unit and the Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity, in partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, developed a door-to-door outreach program to reduce racial disparities in access to treatment services and resources b y providing accessible, culturally relevant information about the overdose crisis, as well as life-saving interventions including naloxone. Staff have collectively knocked on over 100,000 doors in the span of less than a year, focused on neighborhoods with disproportionately rising rates of fatal overdose, working every day to save lives ; and WHEREAS, The Overdose Prevention and Awareness Canvassing Program model focuses on meeting people where they are-in their homes. Although there is a common …