Houselessness: A Prism for Understanding Healthcare Disparities, Part 1 Artwork

The DEI Shift

A podcast focusing on shifting the way we think and talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the medical field. The title, The DEI Shift, uses a common acronym DEI (standing for diversity, equity, and inclusion) as a play on the idea of a “day shift”, the time in the hospital when the daytime teams come in, bring fresh perspectives to the issues that arose overnight, and progress patient care forward. This podcast is aimed at: 1) bringing new perspectives and a more inclusive approach to the discussions of diversity issues in healthcare, 2) shifting us away from avoidance, fatigue, and negative connotations that have become attached to these topics, and 3) transitioning these discussions from mere classroom didactics into relevant, day-to-day, organic conversation and application.

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The DEI Shift

Houselessness: A Prism for Understanding Healthcare Disparities, Part 1

December 16, 2022 • The DEI Shift • Season 4 • Episode 6

From the HIV epidemic to the rise of multi-drug resistant TB and the opioid crisis, those caring for people experiencing houselessness and housing insecurity saw the rise of each of these epidemics in their patient populations long before the rest of us. The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was particularly harsh for those in shelters or unhoused. Some say that caring for those experiencing houselessness reveals the fractures in our healthcare system earlier and more clearly than healthcare in other settings. Join us for the first of 2 episodes with 2 experts on caring for this population, Dr. James O’Connell, MD, MACP (Boston Healthcare for the Homeless) and Rachel Solotaroff, MD, FACP (Central City Concern- Portland, Oregon). In our discussion of the obstacles faced by these patients and the opportunities to learn from them, Drs. O’Connell and Solotaroff describe the root causes of houselessness, the best terms to use when addressing people experiencing houselessness, and some of the challenges in delivering healthcare to these patients.

Learning Objectives:

Define houselessness/homelessness and housing insecurity.
Explore and define root causes of the crisis of houselessness in the U.S.
Understand the challenges to access and provision of healthcare to houseless folks.

Episode Credits:
Guests: Dr. James O’Connell, Dr. Rachel Solotaroff
Co-Hosts: Dr. Marianne Parshley, Dr. Elisa Choi
Executive Producer: Dr. Tammy Lin
Co-Executive Producers: Dr. Pooja Jaeel, Dr. Tiffany Leung
Senior Producers: Dr. Maggie Kozman, Dr. DJ Gaines
Editor/Assistant Producer: Clara Baek
Production Assistants: Nilgoun Farhadi, Leyna Nguyen
Website/Art Design: Ann Truong
Music: Chris Dingman https://www.chrisdingman.com

Twitter: @thedeishift
Instagram: @thedeishift
Website: https://www.thedeishift.com
Email: thedeishift@gmail.com

Continuing Medical Education/Maintenance of Certification (CME/MOC) credits are available as an American College of Physicians national member benefit. To submit for CME/MOC credit for this episode, visit: https://www.acponline.org/cme-moc/cme/internal-medicine-podcasts/the-dei-shift