5 Philadelphia Health Department resources older adults should know about
By Mary Anna Rodabaugh
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) offers resources that can help older adults stay healthy, prepare for emergencies, and remain independent. Some services are especially relevant to older Philadelphians, whether they need affordable healthcare, vaccinations, information during extreme weather, or help understanding environmental health risks.
City health centers
Philadelphia runs eight health centers throughout the city. Each center provides primary care and medical support to registered patients. For older adults in need of vaccines, the health centers offer flu, COVID-19 and even Mpox (formerly known as monkey pox) vaccines. Mpox is available at Health Center 1, located at 1930 S. Broad St. Fl. 2 in South Philadelphia.
The health centers offer more than just vaccines. Patients can also receive breast exams, cholesterol screenings, lung cancer screenings, prostate cancer screenings, basic dental care, and diagnosis and treatment of chronic and acute illnesses. All health centers, except Health Center 1, offer primary care services.
PDPH’s health centers accept Medicare, Medicaid, HMO plans, and most other insurances. If you are uninsured, the centers will charge a small fee based on income and can also help you apply for affordable health insurance. Translation and interpretation services are also available.
The health centers also treat urgent care (walk-in) patients but require appointments for certain services. For more information on city health centers, call 311.
Air management services
At first, you may not think twice about air quality in Philadelphia. However, when Canada has sweeping wildfires, the smoke can travel to our area, making it difficult to breathe. PDPH makes it easy to check air quality data in real-time. They operate an ambient air monitoring network across Philadelphia. Ten permanent air monitoring stations provide critical information on the quality of air in Philadelphia. A van equipped with air sensors and other technology provides air quality data in additional areas.
To provide even more information on air quality, PDPH launched a new initiative called Breathe Philly. It provides accurate hourly air quality measurements close to where you live.
Nutrition and physical activity
PDPH has a farmers market finder tool at www.phila.gov/farmers-markets.The Philly Loves Fresh tool allows you to find produce trucks in West and Southwest Philadelphia at https://foodfitphilly.org/phillylovesfresh. Food Fit Philly (also provides information on sodium warnings and guides on what to look for on nutrition labels. From learning how to properly wash fruits and vegetables to learning if your produce is safe to eat, PHPD publishes timely and relevant articles in English and Spanish in at www.phila.gov/departments/department-of-public-health.
Report a concern
If you have a health or safety concern, such as noise pollution, illegal smoking, complaints about a medical facility, or to report mosquitoes, wasps, hornets or rats, you can do so on the PDPH services page. By voicing your health concerns, you are improving the health of your community, neighbors, and yourself. Call 311 to get you to the correct reporting line.
Health Information Portal (HIP)
The Health Information Portal was developed to communicate important health information to Philadelphia-area healthcare professionals. This includes a running list of advisories and webpages for health alerts in Philadelphia. Visit https://hip.phila.gov to learn more.
You can contact the Philadelphia Department of Public Health at 215-686-5200 or www. phila.gov (search for “public health”).
Mary Anna Rodabaugh is a writer, editor and writing coach.
