the homeless that wander in...

[mish_RN]

There have been times that I feel crappy about discharging some (not all) of our homeless folks especially when the weather is really cold and really hot because I know they have no where to go. The shelters are close already by time of d/c and some sign back in with a random complaint just to have a warm/cool place to stay in. Am I the only one?

**I'm talking when it is calm, no traumas or real sick pts in the ED.

[tewdles, RN]

I know that we have homeless here too. Many of them remain outside all winter, even though there are places for them to shelter.

They sometimes break into abandoned cabins or sheds, greenhouses, etc...things that others may not access in the winter. The hospital keeps people longer than they should, but they are frequently not full...and winters here are brutal so, the staff do the best they can.

A temporary home is better than no home at all, churches have room like that sometimes.

[Footballnut]

Many of our homeless can access shelter at night. Some stay in the waiting room for a while but we generally do not have beds for people to stay in the back. I often give them a bus pass for wherever they need to "go." I am sure our public transportation people hate it but homeless can ride the bus all day with our pass and then get shelter at night.

Each case is individual. We see homeless people with medical problems that have fully funded housing and care. We can send them back to these homes but we can't make them stay. Some cases are easy to refer, others are not. I just do what can be done depending on the person.