For years I have written that the homeless are not an entity unto themselves. None of us are.
They are our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers, our children, and our neighbors. They are as much a part of our community as is anyone else. We ignore them at our own peril, both spiritually and otherwise. I would also argue that by ignoring the tragedy of homelessness, we not only fail our faith and spiritual beliefs but also compound the problem until solutions become entangled and expensive.
The crisis of treating the dually diagnosed is one example of this tragic outcome. We not only have to treat the mental problems of those who suffer schizophrenia, bipolar and other diseases of the mind but their addictions; those afflicted turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate their symptoms when left untreated. It would have been so much more humane and less costly to treat their mental problems before drugs were overlaid.
The tuberculosis scare that we are currently dealing with is another such example. But workable, cost-effective solutions are also part of this story. In this potentially scary article, a bright spot of compassion and foresight is to be found.
Four years ago, I was having dinner with Dr. Mark Stinson, who was telling me of his experience with the victims of the tsunami that had devastated Indonesia. He also told me of MASH units that the Brazilian military had established in shantytowns to combat Third World diseases. I told him I had often dreamed of conducting a mobile medical clinic at the homeless shelter here for just such a need. It was agreed that if I organized it, he would offer his services. Before his tragic death last year, Mark did in fact participate in Project Healthy Neighbors I & II.
This year, for Project Healthy Neighbors III, Dr. Andy Gersoff took the lead and was kind enough to offer doctors from the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Under the able supervision of Dr. Lynne Jahnke, these doctors conducted medical screenings for the homeless. HIV testing was offered, as were inoculations for the flu and pneumonia, mental health, substance abuse counseling, veteran services, social services and others. Cottage Hospital also provided the tents and nurses.
Dana Gamble and Dr. Peter Hasler of the county Department of Public Health helped coordinate medical services, as did Sandra Copley, PHN, overseeing a small army of nurses. Rape crisis and domestic violence counseling was made available. The FUND families provided care/incentive packages. Direct Relief International provided the leadership skills of Dr. Bill Morton-Smith and much needed medical supplies. Parish
Nursing also provided nurses.
What turned out to be the most important service of all was the tuberculosis screening. Through the dedicated work and planning of many, a potential outbreak of this ancient disease was detected in time. We have found that scores of people had been exposed and some have, in fact, been found to have active disease. All are either being treated or have been medically cleared. The Public Health Department is working vigilantly to contain what would otherwise have been a serious outbreak.
As a society that has allowed homelessness to fester and become institutionalized, we have played Russian roulette not only with our spiritual values but our physical well-being, as well. In my capacity as a social worker for the homeless, I have seen Third World sickness and infections run wild on the streets. Flesh-eating bacteria and MRSA honor no boundaries. Neither does tuberculosis.
Project Healthy Neighbors was successful beyond my wildest dreams, and nightmares. By conducting this mobile clinic, the biggest health event of the year, we were able to jump in front of a potential epidemic. This may not have only taken lives but would have cost a lot more money to treat. Not only would the homeless have
faced this potential deadly outbreak but Santa Barbara, as a whole, would have also.
Throughout history, epidemics have cut across social lines without mercy. If, as a society, we no longer care about Third World conditions and allow the homeless to live as such, then perhaps we should care enough about our own health and those of our families and address this problem. And for a moment, we should honor the first responders whose careers are to place themselves between those infected and the rest of society. We are indebted to the people mentioned in this article, those who made the dream of Project Healthy Neighbors a reality.
Project Healthy Neighbors was a model of local government collaborating with several outside agencies and the medical community, anticipating a problem and addressing it before becoming a widespread menace. So the next time you hear a cough and know it is nothing more than a cold, stop for a moment and think of the homeless who face these diseases on a constant basis. And give thanks to the foresight and hard work of the professional medical community, which this time was successful in protecting us all.
And give a thought as to how we will end homelessness — this national disgrace, before a truly horrifying epidemic comes roaring out of the streets to threaten us all.
An ounce of prevention …
Ken Williams, co-coordinator of Project Healthy Neighbors and a social worker for the homeless, is author of China White and Shattered Dreams, A Story of the Streets.