Mortality in a Cohort of Homeless Adults in Philadelphia

Between 250,000 and 3 million people in the United States are homeless 1 – 3 . Their health problems are difficult to characterize because truly representative samples of the homeless population have not been identified 4 – 7 . Homeless people are especially likely to die from a variety of preventable causes. Homelessness is associated with substance abuse and psychiatric illnesses, 1 , 2 , 8 – 14 which are in turn associated with multiple health risks. Many homeless people lack health insurance, 15 , 16 obtain medical care sporadically, 15 – 17 and are undertreated for common medical problems 18 – 20 . They are also at high risk for injuries 7 – 9 , . . .