CCP nursing students tackle the opioid crisis on the ground

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Nursing students at Community College of Philadelphia are facing the city's opioid crisis head-on, as an element of their studies.

The students are spending time at ground zero of Philadelphia's opioid crisis, as part of a six-week community rotation. CCP's Independence Foundation Chair in nursing, Laureen Tavolaro-Ryley, helped to establish the program a year ago.

"We wanted to, number one, make an impact in the community," she said, "and number two, really do the best we could to prepare the workforce of the next generation of nurses here in Philadelphia to address this need." Students dress wounds and do blood pressure screening at the Kensington Storefront run by Porch Light, a collaboration between the city and Mural Arts. About 150 students have been through the program, spending up to 15 days on site.