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Food, Shelter and Safety Needs Motivating Homeless Persons' Visits to an Urban Emergency Department by Robert M. Rodriguez; Jonathan Fortman; Chris Chee; Valerie Ng; Daniel Poon is a Medicine article available to read on EtoBox.

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Study objectives: We determine whether homeless persons present to the emergency department (ED) for food, shelter, and safety and whether the availability of alternative sites for provision of these needs might decrease their ED presentations. Methods: In July to August 2006 and February to March 2007, adult homeless and control (not homeless) patients, who self-presented (nonambulance) to an urban county ED, were interviewed with a structured instrument. Results: One hundred ninety-one homeless and 63 control subjects were enrolled. Homeless persons spent a mean (standard deviation [SD]) of 3.5 (3.0) nights/week sleeping without shelter and ate a mean (SD) of 2.1 (1.1) meals per day; 51% stated they had been assaulted on the street. On an analog scale, in which 0ϭno problem and 10ϭworst possible problem in their daily lives, the mean (SD) homeless subject responses for hunger, lack of shelter, and safety were 4.8 (3.7), 6.1 (4.2), and 5.1 (4.0), respectively. More homeless (29% [55/189]) than not homeless (10% [6/63]) persons replied that hunger, safety concerns, and lack of shelter were reasons they came to the ED (⌬ϭ20%; 95% confidence interval 10% to 29%). If offered a place t

Who reads Food, Shelter and Safety Needs Motivating Homeless Persons' Visits to an Urban Emergency Department?

Author

Robert M. Rodriguez; Jonathan Fortman; Chris Chee; Valerie Ng; Daniel Poon

Publisher

Elsevier Science; Elsevier ; Mosby Inc.; Elsevier BV (ISSN 1097-6760)

Published

2009

Language

EN

Field

Medicine (Health Sciences)