skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, September 13, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Van Hollen introduces federal 'climate superfund' legislation; Trump campaigns in Western states as Harris focuses on critical Pennsylvania; Stalled Child Tax Credit leaves Ohio families in limbo; Federal funding drives PA's increase in electric school buses.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Marjorie Taylor-Greene condemns remarks by a right-wing activist, immigrants to Ohio spark conspiracy theories and heated campaign controversies, and the Children's Defense Fund pushes for more attention to child poverty.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural voters weigh competing visions about agriculture's future ahead of the Presidential election, counties where economic growth has lagged in rural America are booming post-pandemic, and farmers get financial help to protect their land's natural habitat.

Improving health outcomes for homeless linked to housing

play audio
Play

Monday, February 12, 2024   

Health care providers in Colorado have been drawn into America's homelessness crisis, and are adding institutional weight into a push for solutions - according to a new report by independent health journalist Michele Cohen Marill.

Marill pointed to one "aha" moment experienced by physician Sarah Stella, who saw many people experiencing homelessness seeking emergency care at Denver Health.

"She had patients coming in with severe frostbite and other types of injuries," said Marill. "They would get patched up, they would be discharged, and ended up back on the streets. And then within a brief period of time, she would see them back in the ER."

One patient living outdoors had severe frostbite, which required several toes to be amputated. He was discharged to a shelter, but because it was relatively warm he chose to sleep outside.

He awoke covered in snow and went back to the emergency room with frostbite on his remaining toes.

Stella then went to work, connecting area health providers to nonprofits and foundations to find ways to break this cycle.

In October of 2022, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless opened the Stout Street Recuperative Care Center, which provides a recovery space for people who are well enough to be released from the hospital - but still need time to heal.

Marill said on average clients stay two weeks - although some need prolonged care, such as chemotherapy, that may last as long as two or three months.

"Patients can be discharged safely. It's really a life saver," said Marill. "Many of these individuals would be very medically fragile if they were just living on the streets."

Last December, Denver Health opened a converted floor of an administrative building to provide transitional housing for recovering patients.

Clients are connected to case managers who help them find permanent housing and other services.

Marill said these sorts of interventions show that health care institutions can play a critical role in communities.

"Poor health is both a cause and an effect of homelessness," said Marill. "Health care, and specifically health systems, are an important part of the solution."




get more stories like this via email

more stories
According to the Center for American Progress, "Climate-smart agriculture represents a crucial front in the fight against climate change." (Bits and Splits/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Kristi Eaton for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Deborah Van Fleet for Nebraska News Connection reporting for The Daily Yonder-Public News Se…


Social Issues

play sound

More Maine households struggled to meet their basic needs last year, according to new census data. More than 80,000 Mainers, or roughly 6% of the …

Environment

play sound

New federal legislation would make polluters pay for the costs of climate change mitigation. On Thursday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., introduced …


According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, 18 states currently either ban abortion completely or after six weeks of pregnancy. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Abortion care restrictions in North Dakota are expected to be lifted in the near future, following a court ruling on Thursday. A state judge said …

Social Issues

play sound

Hudson, New York will hold its fourth annual Latinx Festival on Sunday. The festival celebrates a wide range of cultures through food, dancing and …

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 weakened by the Supreme Court's 2013 decision in Shelby v. Holder. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Groups from Virginia and across the country are working with federal lawmakers to improve voting rights. They are building support for voting rights …

Social Issues

play sound

Chronic absenteeism rates in Michigan schools have significantly declined, yet researchers warn the state's rate overall remains alarmingly high…

Social Issues

play sound

During this week's presidential debate, Vice President Kamala Harris proposed reviving the Child Tax Credit, which was part of the American Rescue …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021