Rural homelessness: its effect on healthcare access, healthcare outcomes, mobility, and perspectives of novel technologies

ABSTRACT

Rural homelessness is an undeniable public health issue that is understudied in the research literature. The purpose of this study was to determine the sociodemographics, physical and mental health status, barriers to access to care, and perspectives on potential technological advances of homeless individuals. A structured 45–90 min interview was utilized to gather demographic, physical health, mental health, mobility, and technology use data from a sample of 75 homeless individuals within three shelters in three micropolitan Nebraska cities. Individuals in this region were more likely to be white, unmarried, and mobile who have various physical and mental health disorders. Adherence to treatment of mental health disorders ranged from 43–60 percent. This population had increased employment, access to healthcare services, and use of technology than predicted. Leaders from all over the country can use these data to help improve state and local efforts to better cater to this vulnerable population's needs.

KEYWORDS:

• Rural homelessness
• rural health
• homelessness
• healthcare access research

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Anthony Easterday is a fourth-year medical student at the Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, NE.

David Driscoll is a Health Science Specialist at VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System.

Sriram Ramaswamy is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Creighton University School of Medicine and Staff Psychiatrist at VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System.

Additional information

Funding

Creighton University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry.