JOHNSTOWN -- Volunteers in bright yellow vests converged on downtown Johnstown Monday afternoon to promote the Johnstown Free Medical Clinic.
Many of them were from AmeriCorps, and they were handing out pamphlets and telling people about the clinic's outreach programs, particularly the needle exchange program.
One of those vest-clad volunteers was Andre Davis, the clinic's intensive care manager.
"I believe with everything in my soul that this is what's needed today," he said of the outreach program.
Another volunteer, William Webster with AmeriCorps, said he's worried that people hear stories of addiction, but don't think about the people behind them.
"They're people's fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, children... and they're people," he said. "And we need to get rid of the stigma and save some lives."
The clinic hopes they can do just that through programs like their needle exchange program, which provides addicts with free, clean, needles to try and prevent the spread of HIV.
Dr. Charles Howsare runs the Pennsylvania Department of Health's Viral Hepatitis Prevention program. He said the goal of the program is to get people in the door; it's a way to reach out to addicts.
"Really the strategy is we want to help keep people alive and uninfected," he said. "We can't treat someone who is dead."
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