Lawmakers address barriers faced by homeless youth seeking medical care

Tayvon Jenkins, a youth ambassador with the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, said minors experiencing homelessness were turned away from Covid testing during the health pandemic.

It’s not the only example lawmakers were given Wednesday about how Nevada law puts barriers in front of youth seeking health care.

Pamela Girgis, a pediatric nurse practitioner who works with homeless youth and refugee children, says many of the children she encounters are unable to fully access health care due to the state’s restrictions.

“We recently had a homeless youth with uncontrolled diabetes in desperate need of a referral to endocrinology for an insulin pump,” she said. “Because of this rule, care was delayed, which resulted in multiple hospitalization for this youth risking his life and resulting in him missing work and losing his job setting him further back.”

Read more: https://www.nevadacurrent.com/blog/lawmakers-address-barriers-faced-by-homeless-youth-seeking-medical-care/