The Health Department is working to contact patients of the now-closed Smiles at Rittenhouse Square dental clinic (255 South 17th Street, Suite #2507) to encourage them to seek out testing for certain bloodborne pathogens. Please be aware that patients of Rittenhouse Smiles (255 South 17th Street, Suite #2306) are not affected by this situation, do not need to seek out testing, and no evidence of unsafe or unsanitary practices has been found at that clinic.

Notice is hereby given that the City of Philadelphia will hold a public hearing on June 1, 2026 at 10 a.m. in the Municipal Services Building. For more information, visit the City Treasurer’s Office’s website.

The Institute

The Office of Public Safety in partnership with The Roca Impact Institute is launching Cohort 2 of the Philadelphia Peacekeepers Institute, an intensive 8-week professional development training program for community violence intervention (CVI) professionals working in the field. 

The Peacekeeper’s Institute is the first in the nation built around Roca’s Rewire CBT, a cognitive behavioral intervention designed to equip frontline staff to help high-risk individuals learn and practice the lifesaving skills they need to heal from trauma and make healthier choices. 

The 8-week curriculum was built to reflect the real needs of Philadelphia’s CVI field practitioners. Participants will engage in rigorous learning that will expose them to best practices, equip them with concrete tools for the day-to-day work, help them understand and manage trauma, and create a professional network and supportive community within Philadelphia’s CVI ecosystem. 

Curriculum Topics 

• Rewire CBT and Trauma Responsive Strategies 

• Professional Standards of Practice for CVI 

• Outreach, Engagement, & Relationships 

• How to be an Effective Case Manager and Advocate 

• Supervision and Support 

• How to Tell Your Story 

• Stop the Bleed + Narcan Training 

• History of CVI in Philadelphia 

Cohort 2 Details
Dates: July 28th – September 15, 2026
Every Tuesday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM 

Key Partners 

• Host: City of Philadelphia Office of Public Safety (OPS) 

• Implementation & Curriculum Partner: Roca Impact Institute 

• Evaluation Partner: Black and Brown Collective 

Cohort 2 Eligibility 

In Cohort 2, the Philadelphia’s Peacekeepers Institute will focus on organizations that implement evidence-informed, community-based strategies to prevent and reduce firearm violence through structured outreach, violence intervention, case management, supportive services, and partnerships with institutions such as hospitals, schools, local governments, and community service providers.
This includes both community-based and hospital-based violence intervention programs.   

The Institute is designed specifically to support the learning of CVI professionals working in the field, directly with high-risk individuals. This includes, but is not limited to:  

• Outreach workers  

• Case managers  

• Field supervisors 

• HVIP case workers 

 All interested organizations are encouraged to attend a virtual info session and submit an interest form.  

Virtual Info Sessions:  

Register Here: bit.ly/peacekeepersinstitute 

• Wednesday, May 20th (12PM) 

• Wednesday, May 27th  (12PM)  

• Wednesday, June 3rd  (12PM) 

Interest Form:  

Submit Here: bit.ly/ppicohort2interest 

• June 5th , 2026 (5PM) – Deadline to Submit 

Timeline for Next Steps: 

• June 15th – Eligible Organizations Will be Notified 

• June 26th – Deadline for Eligible Organizations to Nominate Staff Members 

• July 10th – Deadline for Nominated Staff Members to Confirm their Participation 

• July 28th – Cohort 2 Begins 

Organizations not eligible for Cohort 2 will receive notification of their status by June 19th.