Revisiting the Real Life Scenario
Pia
We met Pia at the beginning of the chapter after her unsuccessful visit to the emergency room. Unfortunately, this experience is common for many folks experiencing homelessness, substance use challenges, and mental health challenges. We remind you, for instance, of the patient accounts you viewed previously in this chapter, like the young man who left the hospital after being scolded for bleeding on the floor. Think about the last time you had occasion to be in the emergency department, and the kind of care you received.
We need to ask ourselves:
- How does Pia’s story make you feel? What role do you think stigma, discrimination, and personal bias played in this scenario? Does this scenario mirror an experience you have had or someone you know has had?
- How might you feel if you were in significant pain, felt you were not receiving adequate care, and were discharged in this manner? How might Pia have felt having to return to the same department 3 days later?
- Many of the researchers in this chapter have spoken of housing as a human right, a social determinant of health, and of the connections between housing and better health outcomes. How do you feel this SDOH might have affected Pia’s recovery and on-going health?
- After reading the Jenkinson et al., (2021) featured article, what do you think of Pia’s discharge plan? Given what you now know about Dr. Forchuk and Dr. Hwang’s models for discharge planning and what you have learned about the impacts of trauma and social isolation on folks, what might you consider when devising a person-centred plan for Pia?
