I just read an article on CNN’s web site that reports that 1 in 50 U.S. children is homeless. The report lists the states that ranked the worst as Texas, Georgia, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
The study was released earlier today, but it used data from 2005-06. At that point, more than 1.5 million children were without a home. Do you think that figure has decreased in the past three years? I certainly don’t.
According to the report, more than 1 in 7 homeless children have moderate to severe health conditions.
At Good Samaritan Clinic, we normally refer children to a local pediatrician who used to come to the Clinic on a weekly basis. We only treat people without any type of health insurance, so there are relatively few children who qualify to be GSC patients. Most local children are enrolled in ARKids First, the statewide health insurance program for low-income children, or Sooner Care, the Oklahoma equivalent.
The majority of the children we see are transient. We do our best to take care of any child who needs services.
The local bus station is across the street from the Clinic. A family will arrive in Fort Smith on the bus, and the parents immediately come to us for assistance. At other times, one of the area’s homeless agencies contacts the Clinic. I have also received calls from the school district’s Homeless Liaison. (She has shared stories of children going to school during the day and sleeping in a car with their family at night.) We have seen a number of transient or homeless children with asthma and diabetes. Because of their living conditions, we also see children who have scabies, head lice, and staph infections.
What happens to the rest of the 1.5 million homeless children…. particularly those who are transient and have medical issues but no access to health care?
Good Samaritan Clinic can usually help the ones who arrive in Fort Smith. We can take care of their health problems. One of the local emergency shelters, such as the Community Rescue Mission or the Salvation Army, can take care of their immediate need of a place to stay.
Still…what will happen to all of these children in the future? What do you think?
