Treating LA's Homeless with the USC Street Medicine Team

In California, more than 151,000 people are experiencing homelessness and in Los Angeles County alone, almost 66,000 people are homeless. For those that are experiencing homelessness, street medicine provides direct, comprehensive care to those living on the street and under bridges, as those experiencing homelessness often suffer from poorer health, on average have life expectancies 30 years shorter than their housed-counterparts and less access to preventive, primary and specialty health services. This has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concerns for basic survival needs, transportation, lack of a mailing address, lack of ID and mental illness are some of the most significant barriers that keep this vulnerable population from accessing care through the traditional healthcare model. In integrating street medicine into Medi-Cal, those experiencing homelessness can get direct access to preventive, primary care services. Without primary care, those experiencing homelessness end up in hospital emergency rooms with multiple, untreated and advanced health issues. It is calculated that they then have 740% more hospital days at 170% greater cost per day than those who are housed, and state Medi-Cal pays the bill.

The Street Medicine Act (AB369) is focused on increasing access to health and social services for those experiencing homelessness in bringing them into the existing healthcare infrastructure. AB369, proposed by Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager (District 54), seeks to remove barriers to care by requiring the Department of Healthcare Services to add street medicine as a Medi-Cal benefit.

California residents, please contact your State Senators and ask them to support the Street Medicine Act (AB369) http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov

For more information and to support the Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Street Medicine program, please visit: https://sites.usc.edu/streetmedicine

Invisible Stories is a mini-doc series that goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages understand, and can’t ignore.

Watch more Invisible Stories mini-documentaries on homelessness https://invisiblepeople.tv/invisiblestories

Executive producer: Mark Horvath

Producer/editor/cinematographer: Alex Gasaway https://www.youtube.com/alexgasaway​

More stories:

House Calls to Homeless People in Venice Beach https://youtu.be/8N2Ry_g15KA

Homeless Man Dying of Cancer https://youtu.be/NxLL_IwW4s8

Los Angeles Homeless Man Shares the Harsh Reality of Skid Row https://youtu.be/T_c5ff0EEcA

#homeless #losangeles #california
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About Invisible People

There is a direct correlation between what the general public perceives about homelessness and how it affects policy change. Most people blame homelessness on the person experiencing it instead of the increasing shortage of affordable housing, lack of employment, childhood trauma, lack of a living wage, or the countless reasons that put a person at risk. This lack of understanding creates a dangerous cycle of misperception that leads to the inability to effectively address the root causes of homelessness.

We imagine a world where everyone has a place to call home. Each day, we work to fight homelessness by giving it a face while educating individuals about the systemic issues that contribute to its existence. Through storytelling, education, news, and activism, we are changing the narrative on homelessness.

This isn’t just talk. Each year, our groundbreaking educational content reaches more than a billion people across the globe. Our real and unfiltered stories of homelessness shatter stereotypes, demand attention and deliver a call-to-action that is being answered by governments, major brands, nonprofit organizations, and everyday citizens just like you.

However, there is more work to be done on the road ahead. Homelessness is undoubtedly one of our biggest societal issues today and will only continue to grow if we don’t take action now.

Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about homelessness.