The unhoused population is among the most vulnerable when it comes to accessing healthcare: 50% - 62% suffer from hypertension, among other health issues that go undetected.
The Shelter Health Outreach Program (SHOP) is Penn's premier undergraduate student-run community health organization that seeks to provide meaningful, hands-on clinical volunteering experiences by training volunteers to provide free blood pressure screenings at Philadelphia shelters through direct patient contact. SHOP's volunteering model comprises of 1) 21+ long-term, weekly volunteer sessions at our 18+ partnered shelters city-wide and 2) the development and sustenance of our student-run mobile health clinics in conjunction with physicians from Penn Medicine, providing acute care, vaccinations, physicals, and other needed primary care. We also refer patients to SHOP's co-sponsored fixed-site free primary care clinic in West Philly, which students help run.
In partnership with Penn Dental, we also provide oral health screenings on-site and referrals to dental appointment at partnered federally-qualified health clinics. We are also developing programs to offer vision care and mental health care.
SHOP also works on continuously improving the efficacy and impact of initiatives through developing analyses of health disparities, working with Penn faculty, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, and community-based organizations on implenenting new initiatives, and evaluating the efficacy of SHOP services in improving health outcomes.
Through these clinics, we reduce the financial and logistical barriers that vulnerable populations often face when trying to access healthcare. SHOP also aims to foster a tight-knit, internal community of volunteers through a consistent volunteer cohort system, debriefs reflecting on health and social injustices in Philadelphia and discussing ways to improve SHOP's services, and social events!
At SHOP, we prioritize meaningful volunteering that is consistent, sustainable, and bidirectional. We seek to forge genuine, long-term connections with local Philadelphia residents and empower those who are unhoused or otherwise socially at-risk to regain agency over their health through personal health tracking and primary care.
We also have four committees: Policy & Outcomes, Clinic, Marketing & Education, and Fundraising & Donations, each working to enhance the impact of SHOP's services on the Philly community.
Check out our story on Penn Today! The Care They Need, Where They Are