Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Homelessness

  • A city of two tales

    J. Trig BrownDurham, North Carolina, United States CME dawns.Hello, Philly,city of brotherly love,home to Homeless Jesus two blocks off Broad.In unmoving repose, he moves those willing to be moved. Coffee balanced on my knee,snacking on multiple small feedings of the mind, Isit, meet the professors andplod zombie-like from Arch to Racebathed in my privilegeblathering about…

  • Mainstreaming acupuncture in Chicago

    Frank YurasekChicago, Illinois, United States For sixteen years I drove seventy-eight miles round-trip to stick needles in addicts, alcoholics, violent offenders, and homeless women. I practiced acupuncture with vulnerable communities around Chicago and southern Wisconsin even though it was not considered mainstream in our culture. I knew it to be an important tool in the…

  • PEACH: Providing end of life care for the homeless

    Lea MendesLisbon, Portugal Homeless people make up a Fourth World population in industrialized as well as developing countries. Homelessness creates a higher risk for disease and premature death. An innovative Canadian program provides care for those who are homeless at the end of life, especially for those who might otherwise die alone. PEACH (Palliative Education…

  • Finding a Voice

    Ruth MargalitChristopher LeetOmaha, Nebraska, United States Erin Reets, a resident of the Siena/Francis House (SFH) homeless shelter, came in to discuss a medical problem with a doctor at the shelter clinic. Having addressed the medical problem, the doctor sat down and asked Erin to tell his story: How long had he been at the shelter?…

  • Charlie

    Gaetan SgroPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States It is a mild Saturday morning in the fall. A breeze is blowing leaves and garbage past the entrance to My Brother’s House, a shelter on South 15th Street, and the sun is shining brightly off the inside of the open door. The door’s black paint is scratched through in…

  • Finding a voice: Poetry and images

    Donald RoachOmaha, Nebraska, USA Poet’s statement This poem was created out of a life of childhood abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, desperation, and recovery, enabling me to rediscover a life worth living, an affirmation of the human person, and a newfound face. Sober eyesYou know there was a timeWhen I was in a dark placeThere…