PALO ALTO, Calif. (KCBS) - Palo Alto is generally regarded as one of the wealthiest communities in the nation.
However, a newly released study from Stanford University suggests the homeless in that community are essentially shut out when it comes to medical care.
The homeless in the Palo Alto area were found to be more than twice less likely to have access to healthcare than homeless in other areas of the country. "We have a lot of ERs here, we have a lot of places where people can go but obviously they're not able to get there, they're not able to get in," explained the study author. "Also we found a significant number did not have insurance. You'd think that the homeless, with the limited income they have would qualify for some of the services, but they don't."
One homeless Palo Alto man backed up that finding. He explained he had better medical access while living in poorer countries in Latin America, including Guatemala. "You get better health service if you're on the streets in Mexico City. I've been there, too," offered the man who identified himself only as Steve. "And they actually do have you know, I mean their doctors may not have the machines ours do, but the average person has access."
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KCBS' Mike Colgan reports
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