Care For the Homeless

A Partner in Health Vladimir Taub, NP Thursday, January 17 th was a frigid day. It bore the type cold that sneaks its way through all the nooks and crannies of your jacket and latches on tight, like gum to the bottom of your shoe. Immediately, you’re desperately rubbing your gloved hands together and pressing them to the sides of your head to keep your ears from going numb. On a day when the peak temperature was only 25 degrees, before the wind chill, you’d assume that most people would just stay in and do their best to keep warm. Unfortunately, not everybody has that luxury. Outside the Salvation Army Jamaica Citadel Community Center in Queens, NY, people lined the street as they waited for the food pantry to open. And even though the site didn’t open until 11 a.m., dozens braved the cold at as early as 9 to claim their spots. Despite the presence of warm jackets, hats, and gloves, the symptoms of cold, perhaps the flu, such as coughs, sneezes, and obvious flu/cold sym...

This July, the Health Education Department promoted disease prevention by outreaching in our shelter sites and surrounding communities. These wellness events, offering health screenings and information, were coordinated with the CFH Social Service and medical teams at our Wards Island and Jamaica Citadel sites. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council states that "adults who experience homelessness die from heart disease at a much higher rate than those in the general population. One study found that men experiencing homelessness, aged 45 to 64, were between 40 and 50 percent more likely to die from heart disease than their counterparts (Lee, 2005)." Teaching clients about disease prevention and preventative measures is a year-round focus for Health Educators. In our medical clinics, the team has even expanded their services to include one-on-one health counseling on chronic disease management, weight management and sexual health. Behavioral health is critical in...