Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comOhio hospital's 'street med' team serves homeless
Seeded on Sun Jan 2, 2011 7:09 AM EST (msnbc.com)
— Filed under: health
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What a great story. If more people had this kind of heart for others and not "things", the world would be a much happier place.
Inspiring!
God bless the people from Outreach and the homeless
These caregivers deserve a medal, while the politicians who waste OUR money on extravagent B.S. instead of helping people in need deserve a public flogging and a pink slip.
I think a "storm the Bastille" "sieze their assets" and throw them out on the street to live homeless for a year or two would "cure" them of their bad habit of "tax and spend other peoples money"!
I'm a recent transplant from Columbus, Ohio to New York City. Decided even if the rent was too high, at least I could catch a TRAIN to get to major cities, since I can't catch Amtrak out of Columbus, Ohio because they tore their train station down! I worked within the social service system with a number of agencies for over 10 years. It is always amazing to me that there are Tent Cities in Columbus, Ohio. I am familiar with Mount Carmel Hospital there on the westside by Franklinton and I salute them for their efforts; okay, Mayor...get your people OUT OF TENTS AND INTO SHELTER!
If they can afford cigarettes and coffee they can afford medicine. They just need to get off thier lazy asses and get jobs, there are plenty of unfilled jobs out there. Quit leeching off society.
Actually, there are NOT "plenty of unfilled jobs out there". The economy is in the tank, has been for a long, long time and will continue to be for a long, long time DESPITE what politicians and "Wall Street" tell you. If you have a degree that is in demand, or a skill like no other, then great. But DO NOT go around pretending that the world others live in is the same as your world. As the saying goes, "reckoning is in your world, not mine". These people that are homeless are not lazy. No person would CHOOSE to be come homeless. They have mental issues, injuries that prevent them from working (yet no health insurance to cover them, and "not severe enough" to warrant getting any kind of financial assistance). Try living in their world, maybe you will understand.
Hey wolfe, Do U read the newspapers? We are in an unemployment nightmare . The economy is coming back but we are still at 17% functional unemployment. Have some compassion for those of lesser means and abilities. 40% of homeless are veterans! Do U think a veteran is a lazy SOB like U describe?
Great loving work, Mount Carmel "street med"! Shame on U, Columbus ,OH, and U, America, for not honoring your commitment to our freedom fighters and allowing so many wasted lives!
if they can afford mansions and corporate jets they can can bail their own fat asses out. they need to get off their greedy assses and quit leaching on society!
Homelessness is a complex issue, and simply spending the few coins someone collects during the day on bread instead of cigarettes is not the answer. In any event, this article is not about whether or not the homeless should be, it is about the incredible personal generosity of a small group of people from Carmel Outreach who are giving of themselves to help others, rather than kwetching about it. We should all be inspired by their actions, and see the positive side of something for a change.
I realllly agree about the cigarettes, and the alcohol (though sicknesses they are). Expenses I myself could not afford, even if I wanted it.
Raven, yes, some veterans are lazy. Just because they fought in a war doesn't mean they aren't.
Wolfe,
You ARE an idiot! You make a lot of ASSumptions:
1. You ASSume that these people are actually 'purchasing' these cigarettes and coffee.
If you would actually USE YOUR BRAIN, you would realize that these people are recipients of shelter donations. The tobacco to roll those (1 cent per) cigarettes and the coffee were more than likely DONATED to them by some kind person or agency.
The article mentions that one of them has been drinking for hours, you think people donate alchohol to them as well?
They are squatters, they are lazy, they leech off society.
The ones where I live beg on corners, then go get in their cars at the end of the day and drive home. They make plenty of money off begging, these ones just choose to spend it on cigs, alchohol and coffee instead of bettering theirselves. And, I have no problem with you thinking I'm an ass.
Wolfe,
Yes, on News Years and around the holidays, people DO donate! I have personally donated MANY ITEMS that the average person never thinks about donating. Do you think that just because a person is homeless they don't have a right to enjoy a few drinks for new years eve? Here's something else you might want remember.........while alcohol is not good for a person, in a homeless situation, many people use it to KEEP WARM! They also use it to blot out the reality of their situation.
Now, Here's a list of things (besides food/clothes etc.) that I've personally donated and/or thought of donating to help make a homeless person's life a little better.
Tooth brush and toothpaste
Shampoo
Toilet paper
first aid kit
old fire pit/barbecue grill, fire wood, charcoal
old pots and pans
old dishes, eating utensils, or new paper plates, cups, and plastic utensils, even a can opener
old jugs with lids to carry water.
Under special food items (because everyone deserves a treat now and then and because some people who are diabetic need sugar) I add in extras like: marshmellows, candy or energy bars, cookies, potato chips, pretzels, etc.
Of course, your so wonderful, one would hardly expect YOU to want to partake in any one of these special items if YOU ever become homeless.......so let me know when your on the verge homelessness, because I wouldn't want to donate anything to make you feel a little better or help you blot out the reality of what your life has turned into.
Excellent services.
It's a good thing to read. We are on the verge of nationwide Hoverville 2. Stop the spending abroad, impose fair tariffs on foreign made goods, and stop funding these 2 wars.
...he hates to take a bus??? I hate to take a car to work but I do in order to keep the job.
Well GREAT! Maybe you should donate your car to him and then he could drive and you could take the bus! I'm sure he would appreciate it!
"No person would CHOOSE to be come homeless." Well some homeless like being on their own looking for cans and do reject the plan it takes to get back on their feet (education). I know of a homeless center that kicks out homeless from their programs if they fail three times to follow the plan. Unfortunately these people you just can not help.
I have seen this up close, one I knew as a child, that DID choose to be homeless. He would come to his grandparents who would beg him to stay, and though he wouldn't...he would leave with their having bought him new shoes and clothes. But, in his right mind??? Couldn't have been. He did it in the very cold city of Louisville, KY.
LOL............you are aware that their are highly educated people living in homeless shelters..............right!
Yes, there are people who "choose" to live homeless. And guess what, I consider those people who "choose" to live homeless as some of the smartest, and best human beings on the face of the planet.........and here's why:
1. Those people are NOT being led around by the ring in their noses, being told what to say, how to say it, what to wear, what is "acceptable/not acceptable" in (LOL) society.
2. Those people don't have to pay taxes and support the bunch of "tax and spend other peoples money" low life politicians that couldn't find a real job if their lives depended on it. That have done nothing for their "employers, the american citizens" but create more and more laws designed with fines and fees to enrich and line their pockets and put food on their and their families tables.
3. Those people KNOW that the "pioneers" that built this great country had little if any "education" and that it is being "destroyed" by the college educated idiots that don't know how to "live life without being led around by that government/corporate ring in their nose" . They understand that their government employees keep uping the "required education level" in the workforce so that the colleges can keep the money flowing into their bank accounts.
we have the same think in pittsburgh - this is a great way to help others that really do not have any insight into their illnesses and will not seek help glad to hear other states are doing this
Wish this could be titled: "life in the United States", but it cannot, this only became a news item because it is an exception-granted there are exceptions all around just not enough of them. Do not tell Congress or the AMA that this stuff is going on-there is no revenue involved only out go therefore it should be made illegal.
Yep, more of the governments "employers" who are saying "NO" we don't want you to spend more of "our hard earned money"! And, of course the government can't stand that kind of passive resistance and the lack of gold lining "their pockets"!
Recently I was laid off. So when I read about homeless people and wonder if they were at one time happy, healthy, and employed like me and through corporate greed lost their job. I'm looking for work. I know that in some small way, these care givers offer hope in the through the kindness they have shown. Hopefully some of these homeless people will find an employer willing to train and help them get their life back. God bless them. Makes me want to cry.
95% of them WERE people like you at one time in their lives!
At Least Some In Ohio Care About The Down & Out. That's One Of Very Few.
There are a lot of people in Ohio that are caring, giving people! Ohio has been well known throughout the years to donate heavily to people in need of assistance. However, after 10+ years of this state and it's population being "beaten down" by the unemployment, foreclosure, and other crises that have hit this state extremely hard, many people don't have much left "to give".
This is a good thing that we can give them some free healthcare, but we really need to get jobs and a clean warm bed to sleep in, there are some empty factories around the area put some cots, bathrooms and a giant bowl of soup everyday the ones that want to work will come and get cleaned up so they can get a job and then be able to help themselves!!
There has to be a way to get them in out of the weather and at least part-time employment!!
I totally agree!
However, as we all know, the government with all it's ignorance has made it "illegal" to house people in abandoned buildings! No, they would rather give out huge grants to local governments who will use that money to hire a 3-5 man construction crew to "tear down" the abandoned buildings, then they will get another feceral grant, a couple of years down the road, to hire a couple of hundred people to "rebuild" something worthless/non-productive on that land. Then, we can all go through this process again in 10 or 20 years down the road.
As a registered nurse, I can greatly appreciate the devotion of this team to ENSURE that ALL people have health care. There are no questions of payment sources, no waiting for the insured person in front of them, no lofty expectations, no payment plans they will never be able to pay. This is about the American rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of freedom. Only when we can make healthcare a right, for ALL people, can we truly call ourselves a great nation. Who are we, as individuals, to decide who has the right to have healthcare? When judging the cost, ask yourself how much your life, or that of your loved one is worth - each one of these individuals are someones son, daughter, father, mother, brother, or sister as well.
These people are our neighbors and once friends. There are so many out in the streets right now and we just look the other way and say it is not my problem.
Only a few are willing to help like this group is doing. In the mean time the Banks are getting richer and Wall Street keeps scamming your money. Wake up America! We are all one step of being homeless.
Oops -- you forgot to mention the charmer who had been drinking for several hours! Wonder how much pocket change that cost. And what about the cost to the hospital for this free care, but then it gets passed on the rest of us, right? You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot get him to drink.
Or, maybe the person is using up an old supply that he had before his home got foreclosed on? I suppose you think that people who become homeless or are forclosed on just leave their previous belongings and food/alcohol/cigarettes behind for the banks to pick over and use up.
Wow, what a wonderful service!!!! I wish I lived in Columbus, I'd love to be involved in this. I think I worked with Maureen @ OSU.
These people are human beings as we and the SAME in God's eyes. Accolades to your team. I'm sure it's rewarding for you as well.
I wish the best for you in 2011. You are special people!!!
Being a ED nurse myself, there is no greater pleasure in serving people. God bless these medical personal who are serving the homeless. We all need to help the helpless and help get them back on there feet.
I agree and disagree. I would tend to call these people "survivors" or "down on their luck"...........not helpless.
I live in this neighborhood as has my family since the early 70's. This homeless camp is nothing but a place for bing drinkers to get by on the outskirts of society. Local churches provide food and materials for their makeshift shelters while these medical teams provide medical care. The homeless work as team on nearby exit ramps to collect money from motorists then walk to the BP or Dariy Mart to purchase 40oz. bottles of whatever is cheapest. The neighborhood association got the local grocery store to stop selling 40oz. liquor because the issue was so obvious.
It's a sad sight to see these church groups and medical teams supporting this substance abuse lifestyle. The city already spent thousands of dollars with public tax money to clean up the site and provide shelter options only to find them there again a few years later because so many people support them with food and money.
The homeless at this location camp on a strip of property that is owned by CSX as a rail line, state of Ohio highway land and the city of Columbus parks. As a result the legal issues around of removing them from multiple properties helps them stay put. They know exactly how to game the system to continue living the life they choose.
I'm not an idiot or a cold hearted bastard, a few of them are down on their luck, but the majority have and continue to choose to live this lifestyle as it is so easy when you can focus 100% of your maintaining your substance abusive lifestyle due to the ignorance of others who choose to live a clean life.
You should re-examine your assertion that you are not a cold hearted bastard.
brewery,
Gheez, after reading your post, I would tend to disagree...........you are an idiot and a cold hearted bastard!
Let me guess, you have never taken the time to go over to the camp and speak to any of the homeless people to find out what "caused" them to be living there...............right?
You've never offered them as much as a stick of wood to help them build a fire to stay warm with............right?
You've never offered any of them a possible "job lead" in a nearby area that they could walk too.........right?
Let me also ask you, what would you do if YOU ended up living in a tent in the dead of winter to stay warm, were would you go to pitch a tent and survive if you had no other choice and "society" decided YOU AND YOUR tent should be moved because you are just a "nuisance" to the population in that area? What would you buy if you only had $10.00 in your pocket to last you for 1 week?
Note to the atheists! The work being done for others is in the name of Jesus Christ. This is what His followers do, while you brag about being smarter than God or his followers. It is time for you to shut up and listen to the work being done in His name for others. Jesus said, In as much as you have done this for others, you have done it unto ME. Jesus identified with the needy and the humble and the servants of this world, not the shakers and the movers who don't have time for those who are hurt and need help. You want to make religion sound bad because it would require you to admit there is a God, you have sinned against Him, and need to repent of sin and ask His forgiveness. Satan tells you otherwise and you follow him to your death. The Bible which you hate because it exposes your sin, says, put to silence the words of evil men by doing good works before them, that they may have to praise your Father who is in Heaven. We all should be about our Father's business. The only way to eternal life, not this dead life, is through repenting of sin and following Jesus Christ. Following Him means helping others not just doing as you please in this life. This life ends in death, but eternal life is with God after this life is spent. Your choice, but you better start soon, Jesus is coming bad and will judge the quick (living) and the dead. Dying won't save you from the judgment of God. He will resurrect all, judge all, and reward all righteously, with heaven or hell.
Please, don't bring a religious flame war bait into news like this.
I once had the same attitude about people who spend money on cigarettes or alcohol when they can't even afford to eat. It's a logical argument. Then I had a close friend who got into this situation. Our church offered to help but questioned her smoking (which made sense to me.) My friend explained that when you are down and out, scraping by, that cigarette is the only source of comfort you have. It's one little piece of control or one small thing that connects you to the life you once had. (Not to mention it's a very hard habit to break in the best of circumstances, and nearly impossible when faced with the stresses of poverty.) Smoking makes no sense on a logical or financial level, but it meets other human needs that are hard to explain unless you're in that situation. Not saying it's right or good, but I can understand where they're coming from.
But for the grace of God, and in the blink of an eye, anyone of us could be 'there'. I cry to think of how many are veterans who have served our country in combat. I know the VA hospitals don't help much, if at all.
Bless the angels that help those who are helpless...
Ohio hospitals do make money from charity care. For profit and not for profit (very few non profit hospitals are left) hospitals keep a detailed talley of these "charity" services and submit them to the state every year. Every year a percent payment goes out to the hospital for their charity care. "Charity" care can be deemed all different kind of services as long as it meets the state guidelines. These Charity Care payments made to hospitals accross Ohio can be viewed at the Ohio Hospital Association's web site under the HCAP program. Some may be surprised at the amount of money that can go back to a hospital. Ronald McDonald has stepped up and now is helping those in need in the southern part of the state. As the state of Ohio gets ready to divey out the "bonus" money for each Medicaid HMO who has met their "requirements" for the year-wouldn't it be nice to see this monitary amount published too? his money probably won't be shared and trickel down to those people in need but will go to those in upper management. As the Ohio Medicaid HMO's cut back on employees and mandate even more stringent rules to "save" money for services that can't be met or provided due to the shear volume of need-the theory by the Medicaid HMO's that there is always someone who wants a job. So if you want to know who is doing what take some time and do a little detective work. Someday you may be that person in need.............
Tan Toes, Im a Vet and i work at a veterans hospital. Its amazing the help the VA provides. The help is their for the vets,inpatient and out patient programs. Most of the veterans do not want to abide by the rules set down by the VA which includes employment and getting clean. They are usually given many chances to succeed but choose to leave rather than get clean and then they blame the VA for not helping them. Their are many programs for the vets to get into but as anything else their is a waiting period due to the number of applicants. Even so they are provided with shelter until they can get in with us. The main problum is they do not want to be clean and sober. They come for pain pills and then sell them for cash to get street drugs.This is not the VA's fault, this is the addict making a choice to use the system to maintain their life style. I see this everyday, im a hospital administrator and i have to sometimes make decisions i dont like but im looking out for the saftey of all the vets at my facility. to close,im a recovering alcholic who used the VA the way it was intended to be used as a hand up not a hand out and i have went a long way using that philosophy. Thanks Bob.