In the field of Biochemistry, a very common and mundane task that scientists have to do when working with a protein, is finding the right pH for that protein. What I mean by that is, in any system that a protein functions whether it be in plants, animals or protozoa, for the protein to do it's function properly and effectively, the pH (amount of H+ ions floating around in solution) has to be a certain number. We see these numbers all the time, 6, 7, 9. Unfortunately for biochemists, this is a log scale, so changing the pH by 1 number is really 10x more or less H+ ions! It's a huge deal. But when working with this protein and trying to understand how it works, the biochemist must, through trial and error, find out with the closest of value what pH the protein functions the best at. There are cool ways to determine how well the protein is function, but that is me just nerding out and getting way off topic. Most importantly, we see that a protein can do it's specific function at a range of pH's, but what we know is that there is a narrow range that it likes the most, that when the protein is floating around in solution with a specific number of H+ ions floating around it, it is most happy and effective.
This long and drawn out intro isn't just a way for me to geek out, but it paints the picture of why I think a holistic approach to the issue of homelessness is necessary. Throughout the past century, as the number of persons living on the street (experiencing mental illness and drug addictions (remember our target population that was mentioned in the first blog)) has increased, as a society we have tried many different things. In a sense (by not calling people experiencing homelessness scientific tests) we have been fine tuning the pH with our therapies and treatments of the issue.
But I'm going to add a 2nd layer of complexity to this analogy. When the biochemist is messing around with the solution to see what pH works best, he or she also has a vast array of varying buffers to use to make this solution just the right pH. A buffer is simply a molecule (but many of those molecules) floating around that has the ability to be an acid or base (remember your high school/college chemistry!!) and when you add a certain amount of the acid and base form in the solution, it tends to stay at a specific pH.
What I am hinting at here is that we are not in a phase with our approach that requires simply changing the pH of our methods, but also changing the buffer. The objectives might still be the same, find the sweet spot for our programs and rehabilitation, but the tools and "molecules" we use might need some changing, and what I am suggesting is that the tool is a holistic approach.
In the previous blog (which was AGES ago, I apologize) I gave a quick intro to what this intersection is, or as I called it, the corpus callosum of homelessness, which included the physical, spiritual and social aspects of the issue. So what can we do to attack all three of these things at once? Well, you attack all three of these things at once. Don't get me wrong, in no way is this an easy task, and I think just like with a buffer, it will take many years of trial and error to get it right. But I am going to tell you where I think we need to start and what the basic skeleton should look like.
To my knowledge, a few places have begun to do some really cool integrative holistic medicine (Lawndale Christian Health Center in Chicago is one), but I have yet to see or here of programs that are solely focused on homelessness with the capacity that I am suggesting.
A huge problem in the field of drug addictions, is that many rehabilitation centers don't have the resources to treat people who are also mentally ill, and many mental health centers require people to be sober to enter into the program. But wait.. what if the two are linked? What if someone's got both? Where do those people go? (to the streets)
So here's what I think needs to happen. One organization. Three parts. One program. A single program that integrates the physical, spiritual and social needs together. Yes, some rehabilitation programs have social workers to help with the transition process, but what I'm imagining is bigger than a few social workers. What I picture is a center that has each of these 3 sections working as one functional unit with one purpose, to make the person whole again.
Obviously, one of the three would be an inpatient drug rehab and mental health facility (yes I know, easier said than done, but there are a lot of smart people out there that will make this happen). The second would be a community center, which involves working with people to help get jobs, write resumes, and train certain basic skills.
The last one.. is the Church. I'm going to leave that for a whole different episode, because I believe this requires some more detail. I promise it will be less than 5 months before the next one is out. :D
This long and drawn out intro isn't just a way for me to geek out, but it paints the picture of why I think a holistic approach to the issue of homelessness is necessary. Throughout the past century, as the number of persons living on the street (experiencing mental illness and drug addictions (remember our target population that was mentioned in the first blog)) has increased, as a society we have tried many different things. In a sense (by not calling people experiencing homelessness scientific tests) we have been fine tuning the pH with our therapies and treatments of the issue.
But I'm going to add a 2nd layer of complexity to this analogy. When the biochemist is messing around with the solution to see what pH works best, he or she also has a vast array of varying buffers to use to make this solution just the right pH. A buffer is simply a molecule (but many of those molecules) floating around that has the ability to be an acid or base (remember your high school/college chemistry!!) and when you add a certain amount of the acid and base form in the solution, it tends to stay at a specific pH.
What I am hinting at here is that we are not in a phase with our approach that requires simply changing the pH of our methods, but also changing the buffer. The objectives might still be the same, find the sweet spot for our programs and rehabilitation, but the tools and "molecules" we use might need some changing, and what I am suggesting is that the tool is a holistic approach.
In the previous blog (which was AGES ago, I apologize) I gave a quick intro to what this intersection is, or as I called it, the corpus callosum of homelessness, which included the physical, spiritual and social aspects of the issue. So what can we do to attack all three of these things at once? Well, you attack all three of these things at once. Don't get me wrong, in no way is this an easy task, and I think just like with a buffer, it will take many years of trial and error to get it right. But I am going to tell you where I think we need to start and what the basic skeleton should look like.
To my knowledge, a few places have begun to do some really cool integrative holistic medicine (Lawndale Christian Health Center in Chicago is one), but I have yet to see or here of programs that are solely focused on homelessness with the capacity that I am suggesting.
A huge problem in the field of drug addictions, is that many rehabilitation centers don't have the resources to treat people who are also mentally ill, and many mental health centers require people to be sober to enter into the program. But wait.. what if the two are linked? What if someone's got both? Where do those people go? (to the streets)
So here's what I think needs to happen. One organization. Three parts. One program. A single program that integrates the physical, spiritual and social needs together. Yes, some rehabilitation programs have social workers to help with the transition process, but what I'm imagining is bigger than a few social workers. What I picture is a center that has each of these 3 sections working as one functional unit with one purpose, to make the person whole again.
Obviously, one of the three would be an inpatient drug rehab and mental health facility (yes I know, easier said than done, but there are a lot of smart people out there that will make this happen). The second would be a community center, which involves working with people to help get jobs, write resumes, and train certain basic skills.
The last one.. is the Church. I'm going to leave that for a whole different episode, because I believe this requires some more detail. I promise it will be less than 5 months before the next one is out. :D
