prevention point's history

PPP began operations in 1991 as a volunteer-based, grassroots organization targeting Philadelphia's injection drug using populations for HIV prevention through syringe exchange. At the time, possession of syringes was illegal in the city of Philadelphia, and PPP operated as an underground outgrowth of the Philadelphia Chapter of ACT UP. Recognizing an imminent health crisis, Philadelphia responded quickly to the HIV epidemic, and PPP's efforts were legalized in 1992 by Executive Order of the Mayor, at the recommendation of the Board of Health.

Since then, PPP has evolved into a multi-service public health organization, delivering a range of harm reduction servces through its Syringe Exchange Program, Street-Side Health Project, Harm Reduction Center, and Trans-health Information Project.

We have expanded the communities we serve in our syringe exchange program to include those who inject hormones, steroids, and insulin. Most recently, we developed a health information project for the transgender community that will use a harm reduction model for HIV/AIDS prevention and general health promotion.

Using a community-based outreach model, PPP remains true to the grassroots, nonjudgmental, participatory model under which it was established.