Philadelphia has consistently high poverty levels, inequitable access to health and social resources and expanding numbers of disenfranchised individuals. According to the State of the City report, Philadelphia’s poverty rate of 26 percent is still the highest poverty rate among the nation’s 10 largest cities. This poverty is accompanied by alarmingly high rates of homelessness and uninsured individuals. Opportunities to engage in information and resource exchange between professionals are prevalent at the Free Library.

This model engenders the movement toward colocation of services, expands upon the “one-stop shopping” approach and addresses both health and its social determinants. The reliable and consistent presence of the three multiple professionals increases the accountability for the patron’s initial access to and continuity of resources. This model creates a climate of change around referrals to other services and around individual responsibility for health, especially for marginalized individuals and vulnerable populations.

The proximity of these professionals has facilitated an effective system of warm hand offs. It capitalizes on the collaboration of the most communally trusted disciplines: nursing, social work and library science. With this model, hundreds of patrons have been referred or otherwise supported with community health and social resources. With this new model, individuals have been able to schedule medical appointments, navigate the housing system and receive job assistance all in a single library visit.