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- Title
Health Care for the Homeless.
- Authors
Altman, Drew; Bassuk, Ellen L.; Breakey, William R.; Fischer, A. Alan; Halpern, Charles R.; Smith, Gloria; Stark, Louisa; Stark, Nathan; Vladeck, Bruce C.; Wolfe, Phyllis
- Abstract
This article criticizes the report Homelessness, Health and Human Needs by the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Health Care for Homeless People in the U.S. A broad long-term strategy is needed to solve the health care problems of homeless people. Such a strategy must emphasize the context of homelessness. It must focus on gross inadequacies in four areas: supply of low-income housing, income maintenance, support services, and access to health care for the poor and uninsured. The most basic health problem of homeless people is the lack of a home; to condemn someone to homelessness is to visit him or her with a host of other evils. Ignoring the causes of homelessness leads to treating only symptoms and turns medical programs into costly but necessary stopgap measures. Attempts to address the health problems of homeless persons separately from their systemic causes is largely palliative.
- Subjects
UNITED States; HOMELESS persons; HOMELESSNESS; MEDICAL care of poor people; HOUSING; MEDICAL charities
- Publication
Society, 1989, Vol 26, Issue 4, p4
- ISSN
0147-2011
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/BF02701230