Examining Unhoused Hospitalizations and Emergency Department Visits in California to Create Policy Recommendations

Markus Cleckler

doi:10.58445/rars.1262

##article.authors##

Markus Cleckler Oakwood Secondary School

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.1262

Keywords:

Unhoused Hospitalizations, Emergency Department Visits, California

Abstract

As homelessness has continued to explode across the United States since the mid 1980’s, California has seen itself at the center of the issue, with 28% of the country’s unhoused population residing there. The fact that 51% of all unsheltered people in the country were in California as of 2020 shows the pressing need to both ensure safety measures are effective and medical care is accessible for those that require it. This study was guided by interest in understanding the capabilities of the health care systems in California and the impact that bias and underfunding has on them. This paper offers policy-driven recommendations based upon analysis of hospital encounters for both unhoused and housed patients in California hospitals. This study uses social identifiers to determine the impacts and effectiveness of different policies and laws within various communities and demographics.

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