Our neighbours are dying.
Here is the data on who, where, and how.
We recently released our 6th dataset on deaths among people without housing in Hamilton that occurred between December 2023 to May 2024 (September 17 Press Release).
| hhmd_september_2024_press_release_dec2023-may2024.pdf |
Photo courtesy of Barry Gray, The Hamilton Spectator.
Who are we?
We are local healthcare providers who began collecting data on the deaths of people experiencing homelessness in the City of Hamilton in June 2021. Drs. Inna Berditchevskaia, Sarah Ge, and Nicole Chang are internal medicine resident physicians at McMaster University. Gessie Stearns, MSW, has several years of experience working in the housing and homelessness sector in the City of Hamilton. Suraj Bansal is an undergraduate Health Sciences student at McMaster University and a research student with HAMSMaRT. Dr. Jill Wiwcharuk, a family and emergency medicine physician who works primarily with people experiencing homelessness and people who use drugs, was also involved with the initiation of the project. Dr. Claire Bodkin is a family physician with HAMSMaRT and an Assistant Clinical Professor at McMaster University, with a focus on the health of people who use drugs, who has also previously been involved with the project.
We have approval from the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board and are supported by community partners, including homeless shelters, community agencies and both Hamilton Health Sciences and St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
It is our goal that with information on contributors to death, targeted interventions can be initiated and strengthened to reduce mortality and improve health in people experiencing homelessness in our city.
In short, to make a difference, we need to know what is happening.
We have approval from the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board and are supported by community partners, including homeless shelters, community agencies and both Hamilton Health Sciences and St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
It is our goal that with information on contributors to death, targeted interventions can be initiated and strengthened to reduce mortality and improve health in people experiencing homelessness in our city.
In short, to make a difference, we need to know what is happening.
