Health: May 2008 Archives

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Doctors to visit poorest Vancouver residents to free up hospital beds

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 | 10:06 AM ET

CBC News

In a bid to reduce the number of hospital beds being taken up by the homeless and drug addicts in Vancouver, doctors will soon be making house calls to those who live in single room occupancy (SRO) hotels in the Downtown Eastside. Many residents of the Downtown Eastside are seriously ill, often the result of drug use and hard living on the streets, said Lorna Howes, the director of acute and community mental health for Vancouver with the Vancouver Coastal Health authority. By the time they get to a hospital, she said, they often need long-term care.