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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 2011)
5 Street roots N ot . 11, 2011 Survey of vets on the streets reveal disparaging figures STAFF REPORTS tri-morbidity (mental illness, physical illness omeless veterans face an abundance and substance abuse occurring of unique and life-threatening issues simultaneously) and dual diagnoses (mental on the streets upon returning state illness and substance abuse occurring side, according to a new report released simultaneously). this week by the 100,000 Homes’Campaign. Additionally, according to the report’s Veterans experiencing homelessness are executive summary, 61 percent of homeless more likely to remain homeless an average veterans surveyed reported a physical health of two years longer than non-veterans and condition, 55 percent reported mental report health conditions that are more likely health issues, 76 percent reported a to be fatal than non-homeless vets, including substance abuse habit and 32 percent of liver or kidney disease and frostbite. These those surveyed reported all three. health risks are, in part, more prominent The national survey, which was the first among homeless veterans because the more of its kind to be based on in person time a perbon spends living on the streets, interviews with veterans, shows even more the more likely they are to develop more graphic statistics for veterans of the wars in severe medical conditions, according to the Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans of the survey summary. current wars report more cases of traumatic Those veterans who have been on the brain injury compared with pre-Afghanistan streets for longer than two years are more veterans, and more report having received likely to report serious mental and physical mental health treatment than previous war health conditions, including higher rates of veterans. While these veterans are more likely to have had mental health treatment, they are less likely to report having health insurance than their pre-Afghanistan counterparts, according to the survey. Less than one-third of homeless veterans report using shelter regularly, potentially pointing to the multiple instances of frostbite. The report found no correlation, however, between Veteran’s Affairs (VA) benefits and the amount of time spent homeless or the health problems of homeless vets. The report also found little difference between the overall health of VA-insured veterans and non-VA insured veterans, except that VA-insured veterans are more likely to have been diagnosed with Hepatitis C. The report states that these rates may be higher simply because VA-insured veterans have greater access to medical care and testing than non- insured vets. According to the survey, homeless DEAD, from page 1 But because of the liability associated with Wholesale supplier Costco saw opportunity failing to track down relatives, and because in the death care market in 2004 when it of a 10-day waiting period prior to use of the started selling coffins for $950 and urns for body that rendered the bodies less valuable, $99. OHSU changed the policy to require family “There are different theories about why or donor consent Now, approximately half of cultures have rituals to mark the death of OHSU’s body donations are planned in their members,” explains Jennifer advance by donors, and half are gifted by Schuberth, assistant professor of religious family members. studies at Portland State University. “Some Overall, OHSU has gotten more body theorists argue that it is because death donations over the years, says Bill Cameron, represents a dangerous or precarious time director of OHSU’s teaching institute and for something like the soul of a person, as it demonstrator of anatomy for the state. moves from this world to the next, or However, Cameron attributes the increase to perhaps to another body in the case of boosted popularity of the program. reincarnation. Other theories argue that the “Oregonians are donating to our program rituals are for the living so that the society, largely due to word of mouth and an which has now lost one of its members, can altruistic attitude perpetuated through reinforce its bonds as a community. In other wtosTdeatii seemsto tmeaten the sociaT'1 generations;” believes Cameron. Companies like order, so coming Biogift arid MedCure together around offer a third, cost-free death reaffirms that option. In exchange the community will "There is no program for the live on.” for a free cremation, Biogift and MedCure “Funeral rites go deceased whose fam ily selectively remove with human members don't have money. organs and tissues for individuation from A lot of people are being medical research and the universe — the taken care of from cradle to place where we say sometimes transplants. Heart Johnny really existed grave, and it stops at the valves, eyeball lenses, as Johnny, he was a grave." long bones and even real so-and-so (not LYNNE NELSON like all the other deep skin tissue, for OREGO N M O R TU A R Y A N D CEMETERY BOARD so-and-so’s), we will instance, are all remember him, he particularly valuable lives on with us, and body parts harvested for research. we hope that the Biogift staff say same will be done their numbers have gone up since they with our memory,” says Alan Cole, professor settled in North Portland in 2003. However, of religious studies at Lewis & Clark College. because they do not ask the motivations of “In short, funerary rites mark the continuing donors, there is, no way Of knowing if the virtual existence of the human personality in increase is due to financial struggles. all its uniqueness.” Finally, there companies advertising Meanwhile, calls for funeral help continue discount cremation services, some more to come in at 211info on NE 81st Avenue. transparent about their services than others. Cara Kangas, community information One Denver-based organization called specialist, describes a call she received two weeks ago from a woman who, until recently, Ascensiori Catholic Funeral And Cremation had been the sole caretaker and friend of a Services goes by five generic names, takes calls 24 hours a day, and claims in senior citizen living by himself. The woman newspaper ads that, “no matter what your was at a loss for what to do with the body; the man had left no funds behind. financial situation we will help you!” The organization refused to comment Kangas took a deep breath. She encouraged the caller to reach out to traditional sources of support family, church and community organizations. She urged the regon has one of the nation’s highest caller to talk to funeral homes about cremation rates, as opposed to many financial need, or a hospital social worker Southern states where casket burials are about the indigent fund. She connected the more common. “Oregonians are not caller to services that pick up items from an traditional people,” says Cameron, who estate for free. chalks up the difference to Oregonians’ Most of all, Kangas assured the caller that “greenness” and desire to leave a smaller she was doing the right thing. “She wanted biological footprint to honor him,” said Kangas. “It’s really hard for a person to say, ‘I can’t While cremations aré generally less expensive than burials, both come with afford to pay to bury my friend or family significant costs. The average price of member. I can’t afford this basic rite,’” says cremation amongst three Portland funeral Willoughby. homes is approximately $3,000. The average price of a burial is $3,720. Local caskets can cost up to $6,495, and urns up to $3,695. H “The indigent burial fund is not designed for people with family,” says Lynne Nelson, interim executive director of the Oregon burial fund,” says Christine Stone, Mortuary and Cemetery Board, who says communications coordinator for the Oregon that they are seeing more indigent cases. Public Health Division. “It could also be due “There is no program for the deceased to better marketing — more hospitals and whose family members don’t have money. A hospices may be telling folks about the lot of people are being taken care of from indigent burial service.” cradle to grave, and it stops at the grave.” In the late 1980s, Oregon offered state- subsidized burials for people on welfare, but abolished the program in the early 1990s o what happens when your neighbor can’t when it became too expensive. afford to bury her grandfather? Or the “The state came to the Conclrision that homeless woman living outside your grocery welfare was to help living people,” says store dies? Or your recently deceased Tjaden. Nelson admits “this may be coworker does not seem to have any something that needs to be looked at traceable family? legislatively,” but says, at this point, the “We g e ttw o jE ^ W o f in d ig en t cases;”’* " board advises low- or no-mcome people to explains Tom Chappelle, deputy medical reach out to their communities and churches examiner for the Multnomah County and shop around for less expensive funeral Medical Examiner’s Office. “Either we homes. “Cremation at one funeral home may cannot find the next of kin, or we find next be $995, and at another it’ll be $400. of kin, but they are unwilling or unable to Families may not know that,” says Nelson. make arrangements.” For instance, “I would just as soon see1 the fund Chappelle says that this year, many families abolished so I could look a family in the eye have abandoned deceased kin because they and say there is no fund,” states Tjaden, Who hadn’t seen them in several years. says his funeral home company is losing , In Oregon, when an indigent person dies, money from “skyrocketing” indigent burials. a funeral home is contacted that is willing fo “I feel sorry for the unemployed, but as an cremate the body. In exchange, the state industry we can’t be the ones to fix this. The pays the funeral home a reimbursement, the family has to help us out.” * amount of which depends on the number of So it might come as a surprise that Tjaden indigent burial claims filed every month. The is furious at the state’s 2009 decision to maximum reimbursement in Oregon is $650; raise the maximum reimbursement from in other states, it can be as much as $2,500, $450 to $650. Tjaden, who takes pride in his and maybe paid for by the county or city. nine affordable facilities, confides that the Oregon’s indigent burial fund is managed actual cost of cremation is closer to $250. If under the Oregon Public Health Division and a family truly cannot afford his price of $495, funded by death certificate fees. Tjaden says he will sometimes negotiate. For eligible spouses, Social Security pays But, other funeral homes, he says, will take $255 for funerals. For veterans who are the full $650 reimbursement without homeless or have no family contacts, and questioning whether the family is truly were discharged honorably, the Veterans indigent. Affairs department offers “an appropriate As a result, the indigent fund can diminish burial and marker at the national cemetery,” during months with lots of claims, and says Mike McAleer with the Portland become too small to cover costs. Lately, Veterans Affairs Medical Center. McAleer Tjaden has been receiving $128 estimates there’s one indigent veteran burial reimbursements for indigent burials, which per month in Oregon. he calls his “community service.” Unclaimed indigents are listed in a Will the fund ever dry up completely? searchable database back to 2000. “No,” says Tjaden, because if one thing is for sure, people will keep dying. Since the indigent fund is paid for by death certificates, and the annual death rate in happelle’s definition of indigent — the Orégon is fairly constant (around 31,500 current statues which includes every year), the indigent fund is supplied financially-strapped family members — is a with an estimated $179,550 per year. “The fund has always struggled,” says topic of heated debate among “death care” Tjaden. “Now times are tough, and there are stakeholders. ’ people who really, truly need the assistance. “The way the indigent burial laws are But it’s being misused.” written and the way the funds are being used are two different things,” says Randy Tjaden, principal of Crown Memorial Centers of Portland, Milwaukie, Tualatin and regon Health Science University’s Body Salem. Donation Program is one option for “Some of these family members are not destitute families, and in fact, funeral "homes truly indigent and could really pay,” says are required to offer indigent bodies to Tjaden. “Then what happens is the fund is OHSU before cremation. Until 2009, OHSU depleted, our company carries the load, and truly indigent people still have to be buried.” accepted indigents for use in medical study. S C O O veterans are much more likely (21 percent versus 9.4 percent) than non-homeless veterans to be living on the streets at the age of 60 or older. These senior citizen veterans are two times more likely to face mortal health conditions than non-veteran, homeless seniors. The survey shows that after two years on the streets, homeless veterans are likely to remain there for an average of nearly nine years. Homeless non-veterans, on the other hand, remain on the streets an average of just over seven years after being homeless. The 100,000 Homes Campaign is a national organization with the goal of finding homes for 100,000 homeless Americans by July 2013. The report on homeless veterans resulted from Step 2 of the 100,000 Homes model, which clarified the demands of the veteran’s population by surveying veterans with a vulnerability index and coordinating those results in a database.
