According to a study conducted by the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, "Homelessness can be both the cause and result of poor health" (Wise, Emily, Debrody, Corey & Paniucki, Heather, 1999, p.445). This is a theme that has existed among the homeless population for decades. While progressive programs are being put in place across the country to provide adequate medical services, many continue to find that the health care needs of individuals and communities are not being met. A significant number of studies have been completed examining both the numbers associated with those having access to sufficient healthcare and the perceptions of homeless people about healthcare administration. While programs are working to provide more satisfactory health care, it appears that the larger issue is the need to educate the community about various health services and their availability and to increase the reach of these services to the homeless. Despite the variety of health care options made public, the majority of homeless people feel that their medical needs are not being met. There is a large collection of services classified as healthcare. These include basic things like having a regular primary care doctor for specific things like dental needs or having the opportunity to seek help from a specialist if needed. Whether or not medical needs are met depends on how a “need” is defined. In a study of the homeless population in the New England region, participants were asked, “Have you needed to see a doctor or nurse in the past 12 months but couldn't?” (Hwang, Stephen, Ueng, Joanna, Chiu, Shirley & Tolomiczenko, George, 2010, p.1455). If participants answered yes,... halfway through the paper... overall. All the studies seem to come to the same general conclusion: public health programs for the homeless are not as effective as they could be. Whether it is the inadequacy of the type of service provided or the lack of reach of programs, most people do not receive the care they need. Instead of criticizing the homeless for crowding emergency rooms, consider the fact that they typically don't have an easily accessible alternative for medical care. Systems like the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program have spent the last few decades building a public health program that has now helped find insurance for 76% of patients who arrive (Oppenheimer et al., 2010, p.1401 ). It is important that cities across the United States initiate programs that improve and ultimately eliminate inaccessibility to health care for the homeless.