Having a safe and stable home is a crucial part of living a healthy life. Dr. Kelly, who provides onsite medical care for the men at our shelter, has firsthand knowledge of how homelessness can affect someone's health. We sat down with Dr. Kelly to chat about how quality and trusted healthcare providers can transform someone experiencing homelessness.
What's your role at MCCH's men's emergency shelter? I provide medical services to the homeless patients at MCCH's men's shelter. Right now much of our focus is on COVID-19 and advising shelter staff on how we approach patients who may be COVID-19 positive.
How is working with people experiencing homelessness different than providing care for housed individuals? We try to provide quality care with for all of our patients, including the homeless population. The homeless population is vulnerable in different ways but especially in terms of access, including access to healthy foods, medications, exercise—all the things that contribute to healthy living. My priority is to make them feel welcome and comfortable so that we can work together to improve their health, both in the short and long term.
What's the most rewarding part of providing care to people experiencing homelessness?
For many of the shelter patients, they haven't been treated with respect by previous doctors and this keeps them from seeking medical care. I like knowing that I can provide a space where they are treated equally and feel heard. We can't provide all the care they need but we give them resources and access to other services. I feel like we're taking care of the community and that's important to me.
Do you have any predictions for the future in terms of COVID-19? I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better. My hope is that we see a decrease in the deaths from the virus. We can’t become numb to it because we need to sustain the urgency of fixing the issue. It’s not a political issue, it’s a life or death issue. We must commit to providing the resources to support people experiencing homelessness as we continue to face the challenges of COVID-19.
Thanks to Dr. Kelly for all that she does for the men at our shelter. We also want to share that MCCH and Coalition Homes are partnering with the
Latino Health Initiative, the City of Takoma Park, and
Crossroads Farmers Market to bring COVID-19 testing to many of our clients. As part of the
Montgomery Housing Alliance, MCCH and Coalition Homes have reached out to representatives of the
African-American Health Program and Latino Health Initiative to connect these testing opportunities with other affordable housing providers. The African American Health Program currently provides both rapid HIV testing and condoms to the men’s emergency shelter.