Health care for the homeless: What we have learned in the past 30 years and what's next

C. Zlotnick, S. Zerger and P.B. Wolfe

American Journal of Public Health, 2013, vol. 103, issue S2, S199-S205

Abstract: In the 1980s, the combined effects of deinstitutionalization from state mental hospitals and the economic recession increased the number and transformed the demographic profile of people experiencing homelessness in the United States. Specialized health care for the homeless (HCH) services were developed when it became clear that the mainstream health care system could not sufficiently address their health needs. The HCH program has grown consistently during that period; currently, 208 HCH sites are operating, and the program has become embedded in the federal health care system. We reflect on lessons learned from the HCH model and its applicability to the changing landscape of US health care.

Keywords: article; board of trustees; case management; government; health care delivery; health disparity; homelessness; human; medical care; mental health service; organization and management; public health; public relations; United States; government; health care delivery, Case Management; Community-Institutional Relations; Governing Board; Government Programs; Health Services Accessibility; Health Status Disparities; Homeless Persons; Humans; Medical Assistance; Mental Health Services; Public Health; United States, Case Management; Community-Institutional Relations; Governing Board; Government Programs; Health Services Accessibility; Health Status Disparities; Homeless Persons; Humans; Medical Assistance; Mental Health Services; Public Health; United States (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301586_5

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301586

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