Breaking New Ground with Health Care for Homeless
According to the Obama administration’s Medicaid policy worker, Sachin Jain, healthcare dilemmas often contribute to homelessness, which in turn worsens those health issues. He has been instrumental in developing a unique approach to deal with this problem in California. Jain has built a medical group dedicated to helping only the homeless people called Healthcare in Action since 2021.
Boosting the Street Medicine Movement
Healthcare in Action is on a mission to obtain financial support from the state and federal governments to give medical treatment and housing aid to the homeless. Jain, alongside several doctors and nurses practicing street medicine, is a key figure in the Biden administration’s strategies for addressing homeless ramifications.
Street medicine practices have typically had to cope with fluctuating funds and donations. Now, there’s a clear-cut financial roadway to success. They are leveraging Medicaid dollars, amounting to several billions, for social services such as helping their patients find a place to live or paying their utility bills.
Federal Government Elevates Reimbursement for Homeless Care
The federal government has ramped up their support in October by increasing reimbursements for medical professionals tending to homeless people. Jim Withers, a seasoned street medicine provider from Pittsburgh, expressed that these providers are being welcomed into the insurance industry and are now eligible for reimbursement. Nonetheless, Withers has expressed a certain uneasiness about businesses sprouting to cater to homeless people.
The Californian Advantage
California, with its high population of street dwellers and myriad of street medicine providers, is a perfect proving ground for Medicaid-funded social services. Among the estimated 150 street medicine organizations nationwide, California boasts home to 64.
A Deeper Look into Healthcare in Action
Healthcare in Action employs a varied team – doctors, nurses, and social workers who provide an array of medical services like basic wound care, administering medication, and providing antipsychotic injections. Apart from Medicaid, the organization also raises its revenue via charitable donations and other sources. It further expands its financial avenues by striking agreements with hospitals, insurance companies, and local bodies for providing their services.
The organization has made its presence felt in 17 Californian communities, with revenues surging up to $15.4 million in 2023 from just $2 million in 2021.
Breaking Barriers and Building Trust
It’s not just about money though. Healthcare in Action is tackling disease on the streets and saving the health care system plenty by keeping homeless people, who usually have expensive medical issues, away from hospitals and jails.
These street medicine groups don’t just stick to medical help. They also provide food, addiction treatment, and even housing in some cases. But the real challenge lies in building trust, which could be a prolonged process. It requires persistent effort to convince people to accept medical care and, in some cases, housing.
“One of the challenges in health care is we dehumanize people who experience homelessness,” Jain explained. “We see them as not as worthy of the courtesies that the rest of us have.”
Sachin Jain and his team at Healthcare in Action are proving, through their work and persistence, that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, deserves quality health care and the respect that comes with it.