Changing the Conversation

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.

Here is the gist of what I came across as I was sifting through the news these past few days:

When Dignity and Compassion Trumps Oppression