Seth Berkowitz, MD, assistant professor in the division of general medicine and clinical epidemiology, was featured in the article “Food Insecurity Can Lead Straight to the ED,” a special report published in Emergency Medicine News.
In the report he explains how the “emergency department is a powerful window into food insecurity because lacking food can worsen chronic health conditions.” He also says that it can lead to exacerbations that necessitate an ED visit.
“I think the other reason is that EDs offer care for everyone, even when they can’t access care anywhere else. Thus, for people who have lost their health insurance or can’t access outpatient care for other financial reasons, they may seek care in the ED.”