Once Again, The 'City of Brotherly Love' is Evicting Homeless Medicaid Reliant Substance Use Disorder Patients From Their Tent Homes.

One of my many privileges, today was to have a discussion with a city representative at the intersection of Somerset and Kensington Avenue.  I was sharing with this individual how I had given Narcan to a Delaware County resident on the steps that lead up to the elevated train line at that intersection.  I shared how this person was revived and taken by ambulance to Episcopal Hospital and within a few minutes told by the registered nurse to…

"Get out of my emergency room!"

Upon learning of this, I did report that registered nurse - who at one time had dedicated her career to the ideals of Hippocrates - to every administrative official I could identify.

As I was sharing this story with this city representative, I was fully aware that four Philadelphia Transit Police were within earshot of my conversation.

This one example of the atrocities committed against Substance Use Disorder patients on the streets of Kensington is just that... one example of the many hideousnesses forced upon these medical patients who deserve far better.

This coming Wednesday, August 18, 2021, every medical patient with Substance Use Disorder who is currently living in a tent on Lehigh Avenue or Kensington Avenue because they cannot get prompt dignity and respect-filled care is going to be evicted from their tent home.

Think about that...

Homeless people are going to be evicted by the City of Brotherly Love because that city, our city, does not grasp the medical nature of Substance Use Disorder.

This must change.

Nearly 100% of the people on the streets of Kensington who are dealing with Substance Use Disorders are reliant on Medicaid. The Medicaid system is severely broken and stunningly dysfunctional and biased against this population of medical patients.

This must be corrected.

Stop convicting medical patients for a medical condition that the medical community is not addressing in a medical way.

Identify every issue that is getting in the way of these medical patients from receiving prompt and dignity and respect-filled care and you will solve a tremendous amount of this overall issue.

You will also greatly reduce 'panhandling', theft and prostitution, and every other activity that goes into the personal funding of this medically recognized disorder that these human beings would rather not have.

The ripple effects are staggering.  They can be corrected perhaps not completely but definitely largely by plowing down Medicaid mountain and treating these human beings with prompt dignity and respect-filled care that they deserve and they want.