Nina Feldman

It's not a matter of vaccine hesitancy, say advocates. Instead, poorly located clinics, lack of flexible appointments and other barriers to access are hampering Philadelphia's hardest-hit communities.

Vaccination rates for Black and Latino people in Philadelphia are half those of their white and Asian counterparts. It appears lack of access is more to blame than hesitancy to get vaccinated.

City officials gave coronavirus vaccines to Philly Fighting Covid, whose brash CEO had no health care experience. After a WHYY investigation, the city cut ties with the group over alleged misconduct.

A federal appeals court ruled the effort by nonprofit Safehouse to open a "supervised injection site" to prevent overdose deaths is laudable but illegal under the so-called federal crack house law.

Officials may be relying on people to do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19 at a time when the public is simply not afraid enough anymore to keep up the recommended behaviors.

Dr. Ala Stanford was frustrated by systemic barriers preventing Black residents from getting tests. She created the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium and sends mobile test units into neighborhoods.

Public officials continue to send mixed messages about the pandemic: We're open for business, but also, stay home if you can. Without clear guidance, people feel confused or stop trying to be safe.

Relaxed regulations in response to the pandemic means more access to addiction treatment medications. But recovery programs are accepting fewer people, and the danger of overdose remains high.

In Philadelphia, New Orleans and Los Angeles, former safety-net hospitals sit empty. But reopening a closed hospital, even when demand for health resources spikes, is not easy or cheap.

Efforts to combat Philadelphia's opioid crisis with a supervised injection site could be stymied by a portion of federal law meant to protect neighborhoods during the crack epidemic of the 1980s.