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Cover Story: Health for the Homeless

Continued from page 1
Homelessness Impacts Health Additionally , while Camillus has a dedi- Focus on Future abuse. In a short period of time a relatively
Studies indicate those without shelter cated staff passionate about the mission, Camillus has been fortunate to be a minor health problem can become a seri-
are at high risk for a broad range of acute Afram-Gyening works to promote partner- recipient of several federal and local grants ous illness without treatment. Augmented
and chronic illnesses. Some health prob- ships with academic institutions in the which most recently funded an integration collaboration with academic institutions
lems precede and contribute to homeless- Miami region as an on-the-job recruitment of behavioral health, physical and dental would provide students encounters treat-
ness while others are consequences of it. tool. care. This integration is vital for overall ing unique pathologies which will
Obviously , homelessness complicates the “The lifestyle of our vulnerable patient coordination of care, allowing patients and enhance their student experience while
treatment of many illnesses due to lack of population can offer students and resi- their caregivers to prioritize and support simultaneously improving the patients’
sanitation, climate control, transportation, dents an intensive disease pathology not positive outcomes. health and perhaps avoid life-threatening
outreach or access to care. always common within the confines of a Camillus Health provides a comprehen- complications due to lack of treatment.
Camillus Health operates an extensive major medical center or classroom. We sive range of primary , preventive, behav-
outreach program to initially intervene in offer students and residents in psychiatry , ioral and supplemental health care at the Tele-Health Connections
the health care of the homeless providing medicine, dermatology and behavioral main site in downtown Miami and a satel- Finally , technology can help pair volun-
OTC medications, water, clothing and health first-hand exposure to illness that lite site at the Camillus House campus. teer medical acumen with on-site clini-
blankets in order to win their trust and they have only seen in textbooks. We want In 2018, the development of a strategic cians and their patients to enhance health
build a relationship. When caring for the to enhance the students and residents plan outlined three distinctive goals for the care provided. In the South Florida area,
transient population the first option is to experience, hopefully instilling the pas- next 5 years, according to Afram-Gyening: Camillus Health has identified retired PCP
provide preliminary aspects of care, but sion necessary to work long-term with this • Increase depth of services and specialist professionals who are eager
case managers are challenged to build rela- population,” he explained. • Intensify relationships with academic to give back to the community with med-
tionships helping patients to get state ID’s, According to the American Hospital institutions ical advice and care plans but are not able
find housing and create some semblance of Association (AHA), 20% of a person's • Explore opportunities in tele-health to make the physical, geographical out-
stability which plays a key role in giving well-being is related to access to care and reach necessary to connect to the home-
more efficient follow-up on preventive quality of services while 80% of health Depth less. A tele-health solution could incorpo-
screenings, family counseling and general outcomes are tied to an individual's physi- Currently when a homeless person rate technology into diagnostics and treat-
health. cal environment, social determinants, and needs an x-ray , clinicians refer to a major ment to improve outcomes, promote a pre-
Camillus operates three vans that trans- behavioral factors. hospital and get them in the queue which ventive approach to avoid future complica-
port outreach teams to locations where For example, homeless patients may be can create problems locating transients tions, and bolster clinical capacity .
transients who are not in shelters congre- predisposed to worse health outcomes due when the service is available, not to men- Afram-Gyening summarized his com-
gate. Bus vouchers are also available to to unsanitary living conditions, lack of tion the problem of having to wait. mitment, “At the end of the day , there is
transport patients to sites for wrap-around food and limited resources for self-care. However, a mobile x-ray service would intrinsic satisfaction to see a full waiting
care including housing, specialist services The high correlation of homelessness and empower staff to diagnose, make immedi- room of patients empty out as a result of
and substance use disorder. “By building a mental health issues supports the need for ate assessments and prescribe an inclusive appropriate care management. These peo-
rapport with our transient patients we can Camillus Health staff to integrate efforts of care plan with ortho, medical or podiatric ple become our neighbors and while hard
help them get on a preventive health path, social agencies, medical teams, health care experts to elevate standards of care. to articulate until you’ve experienced it,
collaborating with sister organization such facilities, government and philanthropic you will come back to do it again the next
Camillus House and other social service organizations to partner on projects which Practicum Contact Opportunities day . You will come back not just because it
agencies to provide food, shelter and trans- address the on-going health needs of this Camillus’ homeless and transient clients is your job. You will come back because of
portation following initial care,” Afram- vulnerable population. risk developing diseases of the extremities how it makes you feel to take care of your
Gyening explained. and other unusual skin disorders; neighbors when they need help.”
increased potential for trauma, physical
assault or abuse; in turn, developing detri- For more information
mental coping mechanisms contributing visit camillushealth.org.
to mental health problems and substance

Amedisys Closes on Acquisition

of Compassionate Care Hospice

Amedisys, Inc. has closed on its acquisition of Compassionate Care
Hospice, a hospice provider headquartered in Parsippany, NJ.
“I am excited to welcome the employees of Compassionate Care
Hospice to the Amedisys family,” stated CEO and President Paul
Kusserow. “This acquisition allows us to substantially expand our hospice
footprint, care for more patients, and together continue to provide best-in-
class care to all patients we serve. We look forward to immediately begin-
ning integration of our operations and services and will update everyone
on our 2019 outlook for the business during our upcoming earnings call.”
With this transaction, Amedisys now cares for more than 11,000 hos-
pice patients daily in 33 states, operating 137 hospice care centers and
making it the third largest hospice provider in America. In total, the
Company now has 472 care centers in 38 states and the District of
Columbia.

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12 April 2019 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News