Prioritizing Equity: Caring for Patients Experiencing Houselessness

Date of Review: January, 2025

This hour-long online video, from the AMA Center for Health Equity, introduces health care providers to the unique health care and social needs of patients experiencing homelessness, with a particular focus on equitable and evidence-based discharge planning. The video features a conversation with five national leaders in the field, including clinical care leaders, policy advocates, and one lived experience expert who is the founder of a nonprofit addressing chronic homelessness. The conversation has a lot of breadth, ranging from the micro level (recommendations for clinical care as individual physicians interact with patients experiencing homelessness) to the macro level (innovations in hospital systems to improve transitions of care, medical respite, the role of physicians in advocating for policy change for this population). This video could serve as a great introduction for health care learners of all levels. Of note, practicing physicians can earn 1 credit of CME after taking a quiz. There is no interactive component to the video, so it might be best integrated into a larger curriculum on social influencers of health or health equity as pre-work for a small group discussion or experiential activity, with opportunities for learners to reflect on the conversation. — Emma Anselin, MD, NCEAS

Institution:

AMA Center for Health Equity