SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Lonnie Pool has been in and out of homelessness since he was 14 years old. He’s 65.
“I’ve been on the streets most of my life,” said Lonie.
Once a heavy meth user, Lonnie has lived with HIV for the past 37 years.
For those like Lonnie who live on the streets, being exposed to the elements and a lack of proper care tend to catch up with them.
“I had it for two or three years, a hernia but it never hurt. It started hurting,”
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“People will actually feel pain or bulging in their groin and it affects their ability to walk and stand up for a long period of time,” explained Dr. Sandhya Kumar from San Francisco General Hospital.
The scheduled surgery was performed through a pilot program called Project REACH at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.
People with medical conditions who are unhoused are offered procedures early on, before landing in the emergency room.
Dr. Marissa Boeck is one of the people who started the surgical program.
“If we let it advance too much where they do need to come to the ER, sometimes it’s a much bigger operation, they have to stay admitted in the hospital and as you say it cost the health system more,” said Dr. Boeck.
Outreach teams operating during the day and night are the ones in direct contact with those who need this care.
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One of the challenges they face is convincing them to come to clinic for an assessment.
“As we really create this team approach to address those needs as well as the housing, food, safe place to stay after surgery, pain management,” added Dr. Boeck.
“But people can walk and go about their lives. We just tell them to avoid lifting very heavy things. So the ones that are willing and need a little bit more help, we have a lot of social services…sometimes they are able to get temporary housing or a medical respite-type housing,” said Dr. Kumar.
Lonnie told us the surgery was wonderful.
Shortly after the procedure, Lonnie was offered supportive housing.
The program started a year ago funded by the Health Department and a $100,000 grant from the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation .
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“This particular program, the Reach Program, this is the only place in the country where this program is being tested. We are optimistic that it will be tested, piloted and then scaled across the country,” explained Kim Meredith, CEO of the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation.
This new model of care has improved the lives of eight people so far.
The intention is to reach more of those living on the streets who are vulnerable.
Still, for Lonnie, who has been living on the streets for so long, being surrounded by four walls has been difficult.
“That’s what I’m going through right now, I’m going through that right now, really. Living in a room is driving me crazy,” he explained.
Right now, time is all he has.
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