Changing the Conversation

I’ve been thinking about Gloria Dickerson’s Looking for the “Borderline Patient" post on t3Threads, and I can’t seem to get certain phrases out of my head. She describes her recent experience at an ER, and as a result of various preconceived notions and prejudices carried by her providers, she received subpar care. As she waited there, in the midst of her health crisis, she shared that, “All the appropriate words like ‘patient-centered care’ and ‘individualized-treatment’ waft like flimsy bubbles through the air. There is no substance, no actions, and no kindness to transform these words into reality.”

Do doctors and other medical professionals have an ethical obligation to treat homelessness as a unique condition? One of the most prestigious medical journals in the world says yes. In a two paper series published in the British medical journal The Lancet, the authors advocate for an expanded understanding of the healthcare needs of “the homeless.” They point to the morbidity that exists within populations experiencing homelessness and describe interventions. Most of all, they sound a clarion for medical professionals around the world to reconsider homelessness in the context of health.

It is 2014, not 1980. We know more about HIV and AIDS than ever before. We know what causes it, we know how to prevent it, and we know how to help those living with this illness lead longer, fuller, more meaningful lives.

Eskenazi Health and Horizon House in Indianapolis, Indiana has opened a Health Center for people experiencing homelessness, the first of its kind in the state. This facility now helps hundreds of homeless individuals by offering mental health, primary care, and day care services—all free of charge.