Put simply, yes. Poverty and health have been linked and in many cases create a chain reaction of very expensive health costs that could have been prevented upon an early visit to a medic at the first signs of illness.
Recently, NPR sat down with Michael Doody, a 62-year-old fraud investigator who remembers the 90s in Columbus, Ohio as tumultuous and dangerous.
Many factors come into play when physicians see patients that live in high-risk neighborhoods. Physically, two-thirds of these patients are affected by their living conditions – sometimes ill from the mold, rat infestations, or lead in their own home. On a mental health level, children are especially impacted from living in these conditions, but also living in areas where there is ongoing violence, trauma, and racial intolerance.
To help address this issue, Nationwide Children’s Hospital began investing in real estate. Now, they have created a safe-haven neighborhood called Career Gateway Homes which serves as a living space for low-income families and training individuals looking to step away from the trying conditions they have grown up in.
The results? Since its inception in 2008, patient health and the profitability of hospitals and insurers have improved. Murders in the area have significantly decreased while high school graduation rates have gone up.
One concern has risen as a result but is being monitored: gentrification. Hospitals are observing the individuals being accepted into this housing system and are observing the surrounding neighborhoods who have taken on development projects of their own.
For more information on this topic, visit the full interview conducted by NPR at: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/08/19/639415302/why-hospitals-are-getting-into-the-real-estate-business
To arrange for a guest speaker at your next event, contact Bettsy Farias at BFarias@globalhit.com.
