Today, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics released a report about the connection between children's health and homelessness, reflecting what I wrote in the book about the devastating health effects homelessness has on children. To wit:
According to the article summary, "There are 1.6 million homeless children in the U.S. -- that's one out of 45 children." The article states that physicians can be another line of defense in helping homeless families find the aid that's available to help them through their situation:
"The authors listed several steps for pediatricians to take when treating homeless children or teens, including helping or increasing access to Medicaid, familiarizing themselves with best practices for caring for homeless patients, and delivering comprehensive care during visits, such as providing updated immunizations rather than waiting for a follow-up visit."Thankfully, the article concludes:
"The authors also suggested pediatricians advocate local, state, and federal officials to enact legislation that provides support and care for those in this population, such as violence protection policies, low-income housing, schooling availability, child care voucher systems, and reform for foster care programs."I left no stone unturned in my research of the book, and it's nice to see such a high-level medical journal mirroring my findings. Let's just hope that even more people will be helped thanks to alert pediatricians pointing people toward the social services they need, along with engaging them in the reforms to eliminate the problem of children's homelessness to begin with.
