Issues in community-based care among homeless minorities

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Disparities
• Minority Health

Background:

• Homelessness is a growing public health crisis in the U.S.
• Minority populations, particularly African-Americans and Hispanics, face elevated risks of homelessness due to poverty.
• Homelessness exacerbates health issues and creates significant barriers to accessing healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss challenges faced by homeless minorities and their healthcare providers in accessing community-based care.
• To highlight issues such as healthcare fragmentation, discrimination, trust deficits, access limitations, and health literacy.
• To describe two nursing student outreach programs addressing homeless healthcare needs.

Main Methods:

• Discussion of common issues and challenges in homeless healthcare.
• Description of the Men Achieving Self Health (MASH) Outreach Program.
• Description of the Women Inspired Self Health (WISH) Outreach Program.

Main Results:

• Identified key barriers including perceived discrimination, provider bias, and lack of access.
• Highlighted the importance of addressing health literacy and provider-patient trust.
• Demonstrated the utility of experiential learning for nursing students in serving the homeless population.

Conclusions:

• Community-based experiential learning programs can effectively train nursing students to address the complex healthcare needs of homeless minorities.
• MASH and WISH programs offer valuable models for improving healthcare access and outcomes for this vulnerable population.
• Addressing systemic issues like poverty and discrimination is crucial for mitigating health disparities among the homeless.