Health Care for the Homeless

The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences has found that homelessness and poor health are strongly correlated in three ways¹: (1) health problems cause homelessness, (2) homelessness causes health problems and (3)  homelessness complicates efforts to treat health problems.  

Homeless individuals lack transportation resources, and underlying factors such as mental illness, addiction, and ease of access to appropriate care affect their ability to seek health care services on a regular basis.  This is compounded by the length of time needed to address multiple health issues and coordinate myriad health services for each homeless client.  It takes longer and requires more resources to serve homeless clients than those with more stable living situations and consistent access to health care.  

Currently, the PCC coordinates homeless health care services funded by the Montgomery Cares Program and the Federal Bureau of Primary Health Care’s Health Care for the Homeless Program.  Working collaboratively with Montgomery County DHHS, Health Care for the Homeless Maryland (in Baltimore), homeless shelter and health care service providers, and other advocates, PCC works to develop comprehensive health care services that increase access, expand the scope of care, improve quality, and enhance continuity of care to the roughly 1,500 homeless adults residing in Montgomery County.

For additional information, please contact Sharon Zalewski, Director of the PCC Center for Health Care Access, sharon_zalewski@primarycarecoalition.org.

Sources:
1. Institute of Medicine, Committee on Health Care for Homeless People. Homelessness, Health, and Human Needs. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1988: http://www.nap.edu/openbook/0309038324/html/