More medical issues result from homelessness
In the United States, an estimated 1.6 million people each year experience homelessness or utilize homeless shelter services, and this number is not declining by any means. In fact, this number is expected to increase 5 percent by the end of the year.
Circumstances such as financial difficulties, disability, unemployment, mental health issues, substance abuse, and uncontrollable events such as natural disasters affect individuals every day, causing them to fall into a state of homelessness.
While most of these individuals will experience homelessness for only a short period of time, a small group will go through an extended period of months to years, which can have significant negative impact on these individuals’ health and well-being.
According to Jaclyn DelGreco, D.O., of Washington Health System, “Although homelessness is not a disease itself, individuals who are homeless are prone to poorer health outcomes, are less likely to have a primary care doctor and are more likely to visit emergency rooms.”
Chronic homelessness can also be very costly, costing tens of thousands of dollars annually for each individual. By removing barriers to health care and developing treatment plans tailored specifically to those who are experiencing homelessness, outcomes could potentially be improved and expenses could be decreased.
“It is important for health care professionals to familiarize themselves with the various definitions of homelessness, the associated outcomes, and the living conditions of each homeless patient. Treatment plans need to take these issues into consideration to increase adherence and access to care,” explains DelGreco.
Homelessness has been an issue for this country and throughout the world for many years. The homeless face many challenges, such as where they will sleep that night or where their next meal will come from.Often their health becomes a low priority.
“The life expectancy of a homeless person is 47 years, and those who are not sheltered have an even shorter life expectancy. It seems the best solution to this problem is to provide stable housing for the homeless, and there are some communities here in the United States that started programs such as these and have had great success,” DelGreco says.
In a perfect world, no one would have to sleep on the street, but for those who will never have a home, street medicine and mobile clinics, such as Operation Safety Net, founded in Pittsburgh, have done wonders.
While states such as New York, California, and Florida have the highest percentage of homeless people, Pennsylvania is not immune. From data that was collected in 2011, 2.4 percent of the population of Pennsylvania was homeless, with a total of 683 individuals in southwestern Pennsylvania alone. Here in Washington, there are resources for our homeless population, and they are always in need of help. The City Mission and the Avis Arbor women’s shelter are just two examples. The City Mission has been serving the county for more than 70 years. From information found on the website, www.homelessshelterdirectory.org, in 2008-2009 fiscal year, the City Mission served 382 individual men and Avis Arbor served 157 women and 27 children.
Information on how you can help can be found on its website, www.citymission.org.
Dr. Monica L. Speicher is a physician with Washington Health System Family Medicine Center – Canonsburg. She can be reached at
724-745-4100.