Andrew Boozary MD

Saw a patient recently without housing who was in and out of hospital. But how could we keep calling them “hard to reach” or “lost to follow-up” when they didn’t have a cell phone? Peer workers in the Stabilization Centre/ER set up a phone for him and the next morning I got a call: “Doc, when am I seeing you for my visit.” We need compassionate health systems that bridge health and social care, but we really need housing for all.

Every dollar invested in social housing returns nearly $3 back to the health system and economy.

As a medical student I never thought I would have to learn this much about architecture, design and development. But what would you have us to do when chronically unhoused patients live only half as long as the general public?

There are more homeless seniors than ever in our country. So this is Spring House — our hospital is building 54 homes with partners to get at the root illness, not the symptoms. The first phase, Dunn House, showed ER visits cut in half and an 80% reduction in hospital use when housed. We’re not done.

this is as inspiring as it gets.