(NYT) – What is clear from all these places is that some people living outside are never going to seek care at a hospital, clinic or shelter, no matter how much they need it. Many people have untreated psychiatric conditions that make attending scheduled appointments all but impossible; others can’t risk leaving their life’s belongings unguarded. Past medical encounters may have left them feeling alienated, scarred. “It’s only if you get out in the street you see what’s going on,” Dr. Withers told me. “And then you begin seeing the ineffectiveness of the system.”

More of us in medicine should be asking not only how to care for patients once they come through our doors but also how to reach those who never will. (Read More)