Access to Healthcare for the Homeless - Essay Sample

Introduction

There are different groups of people in society that can be categories as a minority. Groups such as the homeless can be regarded as a minority as they are few but face social challenges that force them to live on the streets. Access to healthcare to this group is an issue that needs advocacy. For many years, the homeless have faced the challenge of not accessing healthcare due to structural challenges that exist in health institutions. This population do not have access to basic health services and are therefore subjected to live without accessing medical services whenever they are sick (Hudson et al., 2016). Despite the efforts by not for profit organizations to provide shelter to the homeless, these organizations lack the capacity to provide for the needs of this population adequately. There is a need to advocate for inclusivity for this group to have access to health services without any limitation.

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Access to healthcare is an issue in most societies particular those in developing countries. A country like the U.S. is still faced with the challenge of ensuring that all the citizens have access to quality healthcare. There are some countries where better access to healthcare has been achieved. The population like the homeless are further marginalized owing to their inability to meet medical costs, visit hospitals or speak to ordinary people to seek for help (Lamb & Joels, 2014). These issues worsen the opportunity for these people to access health services. The focus on this group through advocacy programs can help to push governments and local leaders to amend laws that would guarantee healthcare services to the homeless. It would further see the government establishing an agency to focus on the needs of the homeless specifically.

Access to healthcare for the homeless need to be advocated based on personal statements and the general analysis of their living standards. There are numerous cases where homeless people have died or have developed serious health conditions due to the neglect of society to provide timely help. The condition of these people has also been worsened by their socio-economic status which has pushed them to stress and depression (Zlotnick, Zerger & Wolfe, 2013). Research shows that the majority of the homeless people suffer psychological problems and these conditions are worsened by health conditions that arise because of living in an uncomfortable environment. It is the collective responsibility of society to promote better health for all the persons in the community. The homeless are part of the community and should not be disregarded when it comes to accessing health services.

Equality should be promoted to all groups in society. The homeless are a special group of people who can be helped before they develop acute medical conditions. Access to health facilities will allow these people to receive medical attention from doctors. Healthcare workers can further advice the on how to live healthy lifestyles. It is through these health facilities that they can be can be connected to care homes where their health status can be monitored, and appropriate help offered to improve their lives (Lamb & Joels, 2014). They can further be rehabilitated to help them gain skills that would ease their integration back to society. The advocacy tasks should be directed to special groups that address the needs of the homeless. These efforts can bore fruit when laws are implemented to safeguard the health needs of the homeless.

References

Hudson, B. F., Flemming, K., Shulman, C., & Candy, B. (2016). Challenges to access and provision of palliative care for people who are homeless: a systematic review of qualitative research. BMC palliative care, 15(1), 96.

Lamb, V., & Joels, C. (2014). Improving access to health care for homeless people. Nursing Standard (2014+), 29(6), 45.

Zlotnick, C., Zerger, S., & Wolfe, P. B. (2013). Health care for the homeless: what we have learned in the past 30 years and what's next. American journal of public health, 103(S2), S199-S205.