"Access to healthcare is a human right": a constructivist study exploring the impact and potential of a hospital-community partnered COVID-19 community response team for Toronto homeless services and congregate living settings.
BMC Health Serv Res
; 24(1): 526, 2024 Apr 25.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38664700
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Individuals experiencing homelessness face unique physical and mental health challenges, increased morbidity, and premature mortality. COVID -19 creates a significant heightened risk for those living in congregate sheltering spaces. In March 2020, the COVID-19 Community Response Team formed at Women's College Hospital, to support Toronto shelters and congregate living sites to manage and prevent outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 using a collaborative model of onsite mobile testing and infection prevention. From this, the Women's College COVID-19 vaccine program emerged, where 14 shelters were identified to co-design and support the administration of vaccine clinics within each shelter. This research seeks to evaluate the impact of this partnership model and its future potential in community-centered integrated care through three areas of inquiry (1) vaccine program evaluation and lessons learned; (2) perceptions on hospital/community partnership; (3) opportunities to advance hospital-community partnerships.METHODS:
Constructivist grounded theory was used to explore perceptions and experiences of this partnership from the voices of shelter administrators. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with administrators from 10 shelters using maximum variation purposive sampling. A constructivist-interpretive paradigm was used to determine coding and formation of themes initial, focused, and theoretical.RESULTS:
Data analysis revealed five main categories, 16 subcategories, and one core category. The core category "access to healthcare is a human right; understand our communities" emphasizes access to healthcare is a consistent barrier for the homeless population. The main categories revealed during a time of confusion, the hospital was seen as credible and trustworthy. However, the primary focus of many shelters lies in housing, and attention is often not placed on health resourcing, solidifying partnerships, accountability, and governance structures therein. Health advocacy, information sharing tables, formalized partnerships and educating health professionals were identified by shelter administrators as avenues to advance intersectoral relationship building.CONCLUSION:
Hospital-community programs can alleviate some of the ongoing health concerns faced by shelters - during a time of COVID-19 or not. In preparation for future pandemics, access to care and cohesion within the health system requires the continuous engagement in relationship-building between hospitals and communities to support co-creation of innovative models of care, to promote health for all.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Contexto em Saúde:
10_ODS3_salud_sexual_reprodutiva
/
2_ODS3
/
6_ODS3_enfermedades_notrasmisibles
Problema de saúde:
10_family_planning
/
2_cobertura_universal
/
2_muertes_prematuras_enfermedades_notrasmisibles
/
2_salud_sexual_reprodutiva
/
6_other_respiratory_diseases
Assunto principal:
Pessoas Mal Alojadas
/
COVID-19
/
Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Health Serv Res
Assunto da revista:
PESQUISA EM SERVICOS DE SAUDE
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Canadá