WAUKESHA — A homeless man was taken to ProHealth SMÌìµØÂÛ̳ Memorial Hospital 43 times in the last 38 days since coming to SMÌìµØÂÛ̳, according to a SMÌìµØÂÛ̳ Police report. The man tried to get into shelters due to not wanting to use the hospital anymore, and was unable to locate any shelters. The report said the man was given a ride to the SMÌìµØÂÛ̳ Baymont hotel for a shelter grant and was provided resources.
ProHealth Care said "ProHealth Care’s hospital emergency departments treat all patients who need care. Patients who lack housing or have other needs are referred to health and social services agencies in the community, as appropriate."
Dennis Graff, division chief of training with the SMÌìµØÂÛ̳ Fire Department, said the fire department’s approach is to respond and find out what the issue is and get the person in touch with the right resources.
The fire department does see people who heavily rely on the system, Graff said.
"Our approach," Graff said, "is you are calling 911, and our solution to taking you to the hospital is not the correct one. It doesn’t appear to be solving your problem."
Graff explained that sometimes a person has a chronic medical problem and use the emergency room when they need to do follow up with a primary doctor. They might have stomach pain, but the ER can only get that patient so far.
"Some people have cancer and need to go see an oncologist — those type of things. Sometimes there is a lack of understanding of what the ER is capable of doing. Sometimes there are people experiencing severe anxiety and panic attacks with chest pains. It is very real to them. In those incidents we are not qualified to diagnose in the field. We are going to get them to the hospital," he said.
When they see a pattern or trend and getting called out multiple times in a day or inordinate use the ER is not the best place for them. Graff said the ER is not the appropriate place for people with mental health issues. If there is an immediate medical need, then the ER is the best place for the patient. Graff said they see people with substance abuse issues who need detox. The ER can help get them healthier before they are sent to detox.
"When we see people again and again … they are expecting us to take them to the ER and are expecting a solution. It is just not going to happen," he said.
They are reaching out and asking for help without appreciation for what is actually needed to help them.
Graff said law enforcement does get involved when a person calls an inordinate amount of times. The callers are not using the system the way it was designed. If a person is drinking heavily, then being detained to reset or a court order might help them get into an addiction recovery program.
A preferred solution
Graff said homeless people calling 911 for shelter typically occurs more during the colder months. The hospital is only a temporary solution. Legally the fire department can’t tell someone they can’t go to the hospital. The fire services are not free and the person billed is unable to pay. This is where it is beneficial to have a case manager.
"The hospital is not designed to help those people. Our goal in the moment is to help them out. We are trained to identify what the medical need are and start the treatment and get them definite care at the hospital. When we talk about social needs like this, we bring in our case manager," he said.
To address this problem the fire department has a grant-funded case manager position who identifies people’s needs and connects them with the resources that are creating real outcomes. This position helps to alleviate the pain and suffering of anyone in the community.
"We see a variety of factors of homelessness, but these are symptoms of great problems in their life. That too is something we see in value for our case manager," Graff said.
The case manager frequently goes to the hospital to meet with patients or family members to try to start the process.
"A lot of it is their willingness to engage if they want the help," he said.
If they can get a follow-up, outside of 911 and crisis mode, they can identify what the true needs are.