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Jennifer Alejandro, MD, is Chief of the Anti-Drug Abuse Council of Pateros City, a project site of URC’s USAID RenewHealth – Expanding Access to Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation (CBDR) Project in the Philippines.
Doc Jen, as she is called, is accredited with the Department of Health to perform drug dependency examinations to determine the level of addiction and mental health issues of persons who use drugs (PWUDs).
The government’s anti-drug initiatives created pressure for people to “surrender” for treatment. The volume of clients and the lack of accredited doctors is a challenge for Doc Jen but it is a challenge she has embraced.
“Addiction is a medical condition, so as a physician, I feel that I have a role to play in treating this condition,” said Doc Jen. “I find fulfillment in the work I do specially when I see how a patient recovers and how his or her family changes and they all become productive members of our community.”
Read more full article here.