In this op-ed, Leslie W. Suen, MD, MAS, an assistant professor of medicine in the UCSF Division of General Internal Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital, outlines how drug testing welfare recipients can create a pathway to homelessness. She highlights how losing benefits would lead to individuals to also lose housing and the lack of addiction treatment infrastructure will increase wait times. "A more thoughtful and comprehensive approach that considers the nuances of the issue, prioritizes access to treatment and ensures a fair and accurate screening process is essential," said Dr. Suen.
This op-ed was published as part of the Public Voices Fellowship in partnership with The OpEd Project and funding from the California Health Care Foundation.
