”There is a lack of courage….we have all the proofs this works, what else you actually need?” #housingfirst The Documentary - Ending homelessness the Finnish way - BBC Sounds bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3…

"How can we say we have a universal health system when millions are without access to primary care? Why are we left wondering why emergency departments are being pushed to the brink when we have some of the fewest hospital beds per capita?" -Andrew Boozary MD theglobeandmail.com/opinion/articl…

Higher rents will almost certainly lead to more homelessness. 🇨🇦 Visual courtesy of Ben Rabidoux

Is the Loblawfication of care delivery a threat to medicare? Imagine someday needing medical treatment at a Loblaw’s clinic, complete with weekly specials on PC and no-name brand antibiotics, by Gerry Kupferschmidt canadahealthwatch.ca/2024/02/10/in-… via Canada Healthwatch 🍁 Nick Tsergas

Privatization is not the cure for Canada's health system. Andrew Boozary MD theglobeandmail.com/opinion/articl…

A housing remedy for Canada’s hard-hit ERs: As a small number of homeless patients make thousands of emergency room visits, hospitals grapple with how to better treat people with nowhere else to turn, by @MollyHayes Yang Sun theglobeandmail.com/canada/article… via The Globe and Mail #sdoh

Dr. Nakia Lee-Foon and Corey Bernard are doing such incredible work to advance health equity in Canadian health care. Much thanks to Laura Rosella Walter Wodchis Laura Desveaux, PhD for the session/time together — clear takeaway: the power of partnerships.

The latest health data is astounding. The average hospital visit for a patient surviving homelessness is ~17,000. The average cost for supportive housing per month is $3,500. Housing for all is a matter of human dignity and sound economics.

In medicine, we use the term “failure to cope.” But really it is our policies that fail patients. Social factors driving health disparities must be confronted to restore human dignity in health care. Honoured to write with two people I deeply respect cmaj.ca/content/196/17…

Homelessness has decreased significantly in Finland. The reason: a true Housing First approach. Those surviving homelessness receive a small apartment and counselling – without any preconditions. Their data shows all this is cheaper than accepting homelessness as a society. I

“We can’t really talk about universal health care without housing as a human right.” ⁦Andrew Boozary MD⁩ theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…

“#Homelessness is a health issue” -- This summer, Toronto University Health Network will open a supportive housing project for 51 people on a hospital site, and there could be more to come, by Alex Bozikovic theglobeandmail.com/canada/article… via The Globe and Mail Andrew Boozary MD

Did you know? Chronic homelessness can cut life expectancy in half. Through the University Health Network fellowship w Andrew Boozary MD, The Shift's Leilani Farha 🍉 is working to integrate housing solutions into healthcare strategies. buff.ly/45E01Ag #RightToHousing #Canada #Homelessness

Today, we stand together in solidarity and strength to raise awareness for World Scleroderma Day. Let’s honor the courage of people affected by scleroderma and support the search for a cure. 💙✨ Together we make a difference! #WorldSclerodermaDay #SclerodermaAwareness

I had a patient who experienced immense trauma in childhood. And jailed/tortured for their advocacy. I asked what helped soothe the pain? He recited a poem he wrote. Both of us with no dry eyes, he told me poetry is medicine for the soul. We need the humanities more than ever.

This is an important question: Do overdose deaths rise near safe consumption sites? The evidence in Lancet: No. “a 67 per cent reduction in overdose deaths in neighbourhoods within 500 metres of supervised consumption sites after they opened.”

UHN's Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine has appointed Housing Fellows to advance housing access as a social determinant of health – at UHN and beyond. Welcome to Leilani Farha, Paul Karakusevic and Omar Gandhi! Read about the appointment 👇 bit.ly/3LNKAfP

The social medicine program at University Health Network gives cellphones to unhoused patients which is essential to connect to medical and support services. This intervention and the chance at housing improves survival and well-being. Andrew Boozary MD