The central historical, ethical dilemma was that there was no “right to shelter” for people in the 1970s. As a result, homeless people were neglected and ignored as cities were not mandated to provide shelter for them. The temporary emergency shelters during winter were not enough for the homeless as many of them remained in the streets (Why are so many people homeless). Addressing the health of the homeless has been faced with numerous ethical challenges over the years. Health care for the homeless has been historically neglected and some of their rights may have been violated. Homeless people may refuse to receive certain medical interventions such as isolation either because of their limited information or due to inappropriate handling by public health officials ( Widdershoven, van der Stel, & Molewijk, 2016). It is important to remember the injustices, neglect, and fear that homeless people have withstood over the years when providing care. The vulnerable population should be treated with more care to ensure that injustice does not happen.
According to Walsh, Ginsburg, Lehmann, and Partridge (2017), t he current ethical dilemma of patient autonomy may prevent clinicians from offering the best care to patients. Despite there being available alternatives that would help, patients have the ultimate decision to choose what they want and how they want to be treated. The ethical dilemma in caring for the homeless is challenging with regards to patient autonomy especially when dealing with communicable diseases. Providing care to the homeless who might have limited knowledge of public health requires public health officials to respect the decisions of the homeless. Issues such as isolation when dealing with tuberculosis should be approached with the utmost care.
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The historical happenings in the 1070s enable public health officials to recognize the homeless as privileged to have shelter and other fundamental rights such as medical care. Understanding this requirement mandates officials in public health to avail care to the homeless as they would provide to others. This means that care should be provided with respect to autonomy and without any injustice because they are vulnerable.
References
Walsh, S. K., Ginsburg, E. S., Lehmann, L. S., & Partridge, A. H. (2017). Oncofertility: fertile ground for conflict between patient autonomy and medical values. The oncologist , 22 (7), 860.
Why are so many people homeless? Coalition for the Homeless. Retrieved from https://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/the-catastrophe-of-homelessness/why-are-so-many-people-homeless/
Widdershoven, G. A., van der Stel, J., & Molewijk, B. (2016). Moral Dilemmas in Care for the Homeless: What Issues Do Professionals Face, How Do They Deal With Them, and Do They Need Ethics Support?. Investigating Membership on University Institutional Review Boards: The Case for Social Work 5 , 22.
