Those who work with Boston's homeless population fear that the coronavirus could spread like wildfire in shelters. That's why Boston Healthcare for the Homeless has put up medical tents behind the Southampton Street Shelter. Watch WCVB's coverage here.
Boston’s Healthcare for the Homeless Program set up two tents to screen people entering shelters who may have been exposed to the virus or are showing symptoms. Watch WHDH's coverage here
Boston Healthcare For The Homeless are working to prevent the COVID-19 virus from spreading among some of the city's most vulnerable. WBZ NewsRadio's Suzanne Sausville reports. Listen to coverage on WBZ here.
“We will have more needs than we can meet,” said Dr. Jessie Gaeta, a physician at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. “So the city, the state and shelters are working really hard to identify spaces.”
Dr. Jessie Gaeta, chief medical officer for the Boston Health Care for the Homeless program emphasized that there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among Boston’s homeless population and only small number of individuals have shown symptoms of the infection.
The distillery’s first batch was made on Friday, and they hope to start distributing it next week, with Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program already confirmed as a recipient.
Housing advocates fear an outbreak of coronavirus in homeless populations as shelters across the country scramble to increase capacity and maintain social distancing. With no access to health care the homeless can spread the virus across states faster than people that can afford regular health care. Many cities are working to test and isolate this vulnerable population. Watch Dr. O'Connell here.
Dr. Jim O’Connell, president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, noted that preparing to test and care for homeless people is different than it is for the general population. Social distancing and quarantining don’t apply to homeless shelters.
