""I had it for two or three years, a hernia but it never hurt. It started hurting," MORE: San Francisco faces obstacles to 'Recovery First' housing & "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."
"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."
Lonnie Pool has experienced homelessness since age 14 and is now 65, with a 37-year history of living with HIV and prior heavy meth use. Living outdoors allowed untreated medical issues, such as a hernia, to worsen until pain and limited mobility developed. Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital implemented Project REACH to schedule surgeries for unhoused patients early, avoiding emergency-room escalation. Outreach teams operate day and night to connect with patients and arrange clinic assessments. The program pairs surgical care with housing, pain management and social services to improve recovery and reduce overall health system costs.
Read at ABC7 San Francisco
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