First and Last Name/s of Presenters

Rachel MajorFollow

Mentor/s

Professor Suzanne Deschenes Professor Brian Stiltner

Participation Type

Paper Talk

Abstract

Since the cost of living in the United States continues to rise, homelessness is a progressing issue with limited effective interventions. Even though “homelessness” can be temporary, many experience chronic homelessness and are near helpless in their situation.Various studies have exemplified higher rates of mortality and morbidity within this marginalized population, and specifically, the homeless are more likely to die young between 42 and 52 years of age.Without the same resources as the general population, it is evidently impossible for them to receive the same healthcare benefits. While the general population has financial resources to aid them in overcoming illness, the homeless lack these means. Consequently, rather than severe illnesses, the homeless tend to die from common and treatable conditions. When one has a medical issue, typically they seek help from medical facilities. However, the homeless tend to not follow this trend.Many homeless individuals feel that they have been discriminated against and ultimately unwelcome in health care facilities.Due to these presumptions, the homeless are less willing to get healthcare services and may not trust their providers since the care they receive is seemingly unacceptable. Further, such actions can be detrimental to their health as it introduces the cycle of chronic illness and needing medical attention, refusing treatment, and thus becoming sicker. In hopes of increasing the health of the homeless population, it is critical to understand that current literature does not address whether the homeless are justified in claiming that they are discriminated within healthcare. By evaluating the sociological and psychological barriers that the homeless population faces, it can be determined whether their reports of discrimination within the healthcare system are legitimate or unwarranted. As demonstrated in this paper, this marginalized population consistently claims to be discriminated against and these accusations are likely the repercussions of the barriers they face. This ultimately can lead to false allegations of discrimination. By extrapolating from these considerations, the opportunities to aid this marginalized population can be explored. My goal is to ultimately propose solutions that improve the delivery of healthcare to the United States’ homeless population.

College and Major available

Exercise Science UG

Location

Digital Commons

Start Day/Time

4-24-2020 2:00 PM

End Day/Time

4-24-2020 4:00 PM

Students' Information

Rachel Major, Exercise Science, Honors Student, Year of Graduation: 2020

Prize Categories

Most Scholarly Impact or Potential, Best Writing (formerly called the Writing Across the Curriculum prize; the final submission date to be considered for this award is Apr 1), Most Meaningful

Honors Capstone FINAL.docx (36 kB)
This is the article submission.

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Apr 24th, 2:00 PM Apr 24th, 4:00 PM

The Perceived Discrimination of Homeless Individuals Within Healthcare

Digital Commons

Since the cost of living in the United States continues to rise, homelessness is a progressing issue with limited effective interventions. Even though “homelessness” can be temporary, many experience chronic homelessness and are near helpless in their situation.Various studies have exemplified higher rates of mortality and morbidity within this marginalized population, and specifically, the homeless are more likely to die young between 42 and 52 years of age.Without the same resources as the general population, it is evidently impossible for them to receive the same healthcare benefits. While the general population has financial resources to aid them in overcoming illness, the homeless lack these means. Consequently, rather than severe illnesses, the homeless tend to die from common and treatable conditions. When one has a medical issue, typically they seek help from medical facilities. However, the homeless tend to not follow this trend.Many homeless individuals feel that they have been discriminated against and ultimately unwelcome in health care facilities.Due to these presumptions, the homeless are less willing to get healthcare services and may not trust their providers since the care they receive is seemingly unacceptable. Further, such actions can be detrimental to their health as it introduces the cycle of chronic illness and needing medical attention, refusing treatment, and thus becoming sicker. In hopes of increasing the health of the homeless population, it is critical to understand that current literature does not address whether the homeless are justified in claiming that they are discriminated within healthcare. By evaluating the sociological and psychological barriers that the homeless population faces, it can be determined whether their reports of discrimination within the healthcare system are legitimate or unwarranted. As demonstrated in this paper, this marginalized population consistently claims to be discriminated against and these accusations are likely the repercussions of the barriers they face. This ultimately can lead to false allegations of discrimination. By extrapolating from these considerations, the opportunities to aid this marginalized population can be explored. My goal is to ultimately propose solutions that improve the delivery of healthcare to the United States’ homeless population.

 

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