An Investigation into Philadelphia's Opioid Crisis

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2022
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Haverford College. Department of Political Science
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Open Access
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Abstract
My thesis is on potential solutions to the opioid crisis in Philadelphia, and specifically the Kensington neighborhood. The opioid epidemic continues to destroy the lives and livelihoods of drug users and their loved ones. It recently was announced that over 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses between 2020 and 2021 alone, with the CDC estimating that about 75% of these deaths were from opioids. I focus on the crisis in Philadelphia and specifically the Kensington neighborhood, the epicenter of Philly's epidemic. Upon finding a broad consensus amongst scholars about effective solutions to the crisis, a major puzzle remains: What is getting in the way of more progress? If anything, the opioid crisis in Philadelphia has only worsened in the past few years, despite the election of a progressive Democrat, Mayor Jim Kenney, who ran on addressing the city's startling opioid epidemic and has been sympathetic to those impacted by it. I set out to answer this question by investigating Philadelphia's opioid epidemic in an open-minded fashion––interviewing people involved in the crisis from all different angles and perspectives––to identify the major barriers stalling the alleviation of this dire public health crisis. I hypothesized that there are two key sets of barriers preventing more progress: bureaucratic and political ones. I found that the classification of political and bureaucratic obstacles is not fully accurate. There is a lot of overlap between these two barriers, and therefore I divided the identified barriers into more distinct groups. These consist of minor bureaucratic problems, flawed policies, problematic approaches, and ongoing political challenges. To overcome these barriers, I provided nine recommendations to the mayor: (1) bring back drug court, but reform it; (2) fund research and development to help treatment catch up to the changing drug supply; (3) cut down on relations with CBH. Make the assessment process like nearby counties and as simple as making a phone call; (4) incentivize treatment providers to fill slots; (5) open a safe injection site in a hospital and hire independent evaluators. Or, heavily invest in community engagement and potential concessions if a SIS is to be put in a residential area; (6) expand peer support services for people in recovery; (7) create a drug czar position; (8) update the public and relevant departments monthly on the opioid crisis and what your priorities are for the upcoming month; and (9) invest in an excellent drug education program in schools.
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