Health and Homelessness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Health and Homelessness - Essay Example Common health predicaments and service issues Drugs In the case of homeless people, especially rough sleepers, there is a higher rate of morbidity and mortality as compared to the general population. What this implies is that homeless people tend to have a lower or average lifespan than the general population. In this instance, the main problem is drug overdependence, and the exploitation of intravenous drugs, which results in the spread of diseases and viruses such as HIV, Hepatitis B & C, cellulitis, among others (Baggott, Allsop & Jones 2005). Furthermore, the use of schedule 1 drugs that are not meant for medicinal purposes such as heroin and crack cocaine also increases the mortality and morbidity among the homeless people. The use of such drugs makes it hard for medical practitioners to deal or treat individuals with different medical problems. Sometimes, homeless people can just get into different medical centers just to get drugs, which prevents the process of rehabilitation (Baggot 2011). Drug treatments have now different nationally accepted outcomes. The prescription of drugs to homeless patients depends on the patients, the general practitioners, and the drug workers. The different individual circumstances might also aid in determining the outcomes of the strategies employed to cater to the different individuals present (CSDH 2008). Detoxification can only work with the cessation of drug use and/or provision from drug workers. Frenzied users may not prefer such an approach since it is not practicable or realistic.