Still
volunteering

October 16, 2019 -- As I have dozens of times before (see earlier blog postings e.g. PHC 62), today I worked a volunteer nursing shift for Project Homeless Connect.

This was PHC's 75th such event -- quite a milestone! We continue to be proud of the good work we do and horrified that it continues to be necessary. Indeed, San Francisco's homeless population is growing.

Here are a few statistics about what was accomplished today:

  • 1,100 participants were served.
  • In Nursing, we saw 75 of these.
  • I personally triaged 14.

And some stats (source: Applied Survey Research, 2019, SF Homeless Count and Survey) about SF's homeless population's self-reported health conditions:

  • 42% alcohol and drug use
  • 39% psychiatric/emotional conditions
  • 37% post-traumatic stress disorder
  • 31% chronic health problems
  • 27% physical disability
  • 15% traumatic brain injury
  • HIV/AIDS related illness

As always, I am saddened by the severity of the afflictions I see (a bad case of cellulitis, a bulging tumor, much drug addiction, HIV, scabies, mouth abscesses, drug injection site infections, kidney failure, psychoses, and much too much more) and heartened by the frequent cheerfulness of the sufferers despite the adversity they confront. Peoples' resilience is amazing.

Governor Gavin Newsom is a big booster of this community service. When it was first started around 15 years ago, his involvement was pivotal. (Back then he was San Francisco's mayor, one of the best we've had.)

Do-good volunteer organizations like PHC will continue to be necessary as long as our country continues to be inhumane and exclusionary. America's social safety net is inexcusably inadequate. It's a sad state of affairs but we're doing what we can.

Join us at the next one!

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