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| If you are not part of the solution, you are a part of the problem Supportive Claim1 #229041
| The Million Dollar (Homeless) Patient Calculating the health care costs of chronic homelessness Health, Company Location, Social Issues, homelessness, Supportive housing, Housing first, Angelo Solis, Homelessness in the United States, Homelessness in Canada, health insurance, USD, diabetes, California ( Show more tags) Health, Company Location, Social Issues, homelessness, Supportive housing, Housing first, Angelo Solis, Homelessness in the United States, Homelessness in Canada, health insurance, USD, diabetes, California, Solano County, chronic health problems, chronic alcoholic, care for his diabetes or heart disease, heart disease, untreated mental illness, Editor, Malcolm Gladwell, the New Yorker, food banks, caseworker, federal patient privacy law, administrator, humane solution, San Francisco, case management, case manager, San Francisco Public Health Department, University of California, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California Berkeley's Goldman School, Sacramento Salvation Army, Dennis Culhane, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, federal government, the University of Pennsylvania, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, New York City, public services, homeless, chronic alcoholics, San Diego, James Dunford, Cancer By Sarah Arnquist Angelo Solis is a chronic alcoholic in his late 60s who was homeless for many years in Solano County, California. Solis frequently passed out drunk in public, and police brought him to the hospital emergency room. There, doctors often admitted him to treat his multiple chronic health problems and so he could detoxify safely. Solis would leave the hospital only to return after police found him passed out, again. This happened, repeatedly, for years. Solis' health never improved; it worsened because he slept outside and couldn't properly care for his diabetes or heart disease. In three years, Solis racked up nearly $1 million in medical charges - paid for by taxpayers. Solis' case represents the immense health care costs associated with homelessness. Nearly every community has at least one chronically homeless person like him. Some have hundreds. Hospital emergency room staffs call these patients frequent fliers. Many have chronic health problems worsened by living outside, in addition to substance abuse problems and untreated mental illness. Because their cases are so complicated they require expensive treatment and extra time from hospital staff.  But despite receiving repeated rounds of intensive and costly treatment, their health rarely improves when they return to the streets. They return to the hospital for more costly treatment again and again. Taxpayers and people with private insurance pay for this fruitless care, as hospitals shift costs onto them.
That's the reason to convince your editor to write about the health care costs of homelessness in your community. Here is some advice on where to start, who to talk to, and how to organize your time to report this story. I've also included relevant research, an expert list, and tips I wish someone had given me. |
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