omer service to homeless patients based on its initiative to meet all their medical needs in an atmosphere of respect and compassion. Although the homeless tend to have low self-respect, they will be treated with respect by HomelessCare physicians and nurses and will be shown the utmost consideration for their feelings in all respects.
HomelessCareÆs core competencies will be specialization in conditions that afflict the homeless, such as malnutrition and mental illness; health enhancement rather than just medical treatment to address disease; and treatment of the whole person, not just the physical complaints. As a partner with nonprofit organizations that provide food to the homeless, HomelessCare will recommend diets that restore health to the malnourished with appealing food and will address issues such as foods suitable for patients who have lost many or all of their teeth. Since in many cases, people are homeless as a result of being released from mental institutions that could no longer house them, these patients need comprehensive diagnosis as to the causes and treatments for their illness. Some mentally ill patients will need to be hospitalized while a plan for their recovery can be formulated. Others may be required to take medication that can relieve their symptoms and enable them to lead more normal lives. In some cases, homelessness is the result of other conditions that can be treated, such as depression.
The primary advantage to the homeless of HomelessCare over other healthcare options is that it is more vested in providing recovery in every area of the patientÆs life. Whereas a Medicaid patient is likely to be turned down by regular doctors or given extremely deficient care, the HomelessCare patient receives excellent medical care as well as assistance in remedying the panoply of adverse conditions that make it difficult to survive, let alone improve his lot in life. Furthermore, the respect and comp...