1. Age, Gender and Cause of Death Charts 2. Download the 2009 Program and List of Names Contact: BJ Iacino, (303) 285-5223, (720) 937-2728 Cell biacino@coloradocoalition.org
1. Age, Gender and Cause of Death Charts
2. Download the 2009 Program and List of Names
Denver, December 16, 2009 - For the twenty-fourth year, several hundred people are gathering on the steps of the Denver City and County Building at 5:30 p.m. to attend the Homeless Persons’ Memorial Vigil.
Hosted by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, the candlelight vigil and name-reading ceremony pays tribute to 154 people who lived on the streets of the Denver metropolitan area and died during 2009. Mayor John Hickenlooper is joining in the vigil. This will be the only memorial service conducted for most of these individuals.
Of those being recognized, 38 were women, 116 were men; and they ranged in age from 3 months to 73 years old. Causes of death include exposure, vehicular accidents, violence, but most frequently, illness due to chronic diseases. The inability to access appropriate healthcare services results in extremely high rates of disease. Homeless people experience illnesses at three to six times the rates experienced by housed people.
A common misconception about poor people is that they receive healthcare benefits from Medicaid. Unfortunately, federal rules generally prohibit single adults without young children from qualifying for Medicaid. Overall, the average life expectancy for Americans is almost 80 years of age; yet, for those that experience frequent homelessness, the probable life span is somewhere between 42 and 52 years.
“Health problems cause homelessness and homelessness causes health problems,” said John Parvensky, President of Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. “Homelessness complicates efforts to treat illness and people die unnecessarily. Each of these deaths could’ve been prevented with a stable home and access to quality and integrated healthcare services.”
The Institutes of Medicine reports that half of all personal bankruptcies in the United States result from health problems, and it is a short downhill slide from bankruptcy to eviction to homelessness. Moreover, some health conditions that are more prevalent among homeless people than in the general population – such as addictions, mental illnesses, and HIV/AIDS – are known to undermine the family and social supports that provide a safeguard against homelessness for many vulnerable people.
“We in Denver look forward to the day when there are no longer any names to read at this Vigil. The Winter is a cold reminder of the fact that there is no good time to be homeless,” said Mayor Hickenlooper. “We are urging the Denver community to continue to embrace the work of our homeless providers and Denver’s Road Home, our ten-year plan to end homelessness, and remain focused on housing, healthcare services and prevention to minimize the impact of preventable mortality in our community.”
People experiencing homelessness are mercilessly exposed to the elements, to violence, to communicable diseases, and to parasitic infestations. Circulatory, dermatological, and musculoskeletal problems are common results of excessive walking, standing, and sleeping sitting up. Homelessness and poor nutrition go hand-in-hand, increasing vulnerability to acute and chronic illnesses. Stresses associated with homelessness also reduce resistance to disease, account for the emergence of some mental illnesses, and enhance the false promises of relief offered by alcohol and drugs.
The healthcare delivery system is not well attuned to the realities of living without stable housing. Healthcare facilities often are located far from where homeless people stay, public transportation systems are insufficient or nonexistent in many places, and most homeless people don’t have cars. Clinic appointment systems are not easily negotiated by people without telephones, for whom other survival needs (finding food and shelter) may take priority. Standard treatment plans often require resources not available to homeless persons, such as places to obtain bed rest, refrigeration for medications, proper nutrition, or clean bandages.
Fortunately, for 24 years, the Coalition’s Stout Street Clinic has been an indispensable option for homeless individuals. There is never a charge for services. Fees might literally mean the difference between life and death. On average, 12,000 patients are served each year, but many more still need help, especially for mental healthcare services.
Although there is no official tracking of homeless deaths in Colorado, the Coalition conducts the count through a coordinated process involving more than 25 homeless service organizations, in the seven-county Denver metropolitan area, representing medical clinicians and other healthcare professionals; case managers; outreach and social workers; hospice, shelter and emergency service personnel; housing managers; chaplains; volunteers and others who provide direct assistance for those that are homeless.
The Vigil is held in conjunction with the National Coalition for the Homeless Campaign: National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. In 2008, over 100 communities participated in the campaign, spanning 38 states. The mission of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is to work collaboratively toward the prevention of homelessness and the creation of lasting solutions for homeless and at-risk families, children, and individuals throughout Colorado. The Coalition advocates for and provides a continuum of housing and a variety of services to improve the health, well-being and stability of those it serves.
Grover Anderson – Age UnknownTom Anderson – Age 46Tina Applegate – Age 56Bryan Armstrong – Age 53Ronald Fred Atencio – Age 54Judy Atkinson – Age UnknownMarilyn Bakal – Age 72Valerie Ballast – Age 25Amy Banks – Age 39Shane Barthel – Age 33Thomas Beck – Age 40William Bentz – Age 62James Berry – Age 57John “Elwood” Bienick – Age UnknownDonna Blevins – Age 44Michael Bochert – Age UnknownTravis Bordelon – Age 34Annette Boyle – Age 40Joseph Bryant – Age 51Mary Bueno – Age 51Patricia Bush – Age 50Geno Calabrese – Age 44Joseph Calderon – Age 65Roger Calhoun – Age 66Mel Carpenter – Age UnknownTighe Chamberlain – Age 59Carrie Chavez-Johnson – Age 48Sandy Cowan – Age 48Chantell Curry – Age 34Danny Daily – Age 57Jeff Davis – Age 42Linn Decker – Age 46Melissa Deeter – Age 46Roberto Diaz DeLeon – Age 39Mark Dorak – Age 40Adam Earley – Age 20Tina Edwards – Age 50Amory Feltes – Age UnknownErick Bradley Ferguson – Age 38Carrie Fillis – Age 49Beverly Fry – Age 74Paul Garcia – Age 37Ronald Garcia – Age 46John Gardner – Age 62Alfonso George – Age UnknownNancy Gilmore – Age UnknownPatrick Gleason – Age 28Judith Goering – Age 56Miguel Ruiz Gomez – Age 50Tomas Gomez – Age UnknownAlfonso Gonzalez – Age 23Gustave Gourdin – Age 48Bob Grau – Age 48Dale Gustave – Age UnknownFrederick Hammer – Age 52Michael Hannon – Age 55Kenneth Harlan – Age 56Coraletta Harris – Age UnknownRoger Harris – Age UnknownRene Hickey – Age UnknownCarlos Higuera-Rubio – Age 72Geoff Hitchcock – Age 57Janet Hodgson – Age 52Brandon Howse – Age 27Ricky Lee Iko – Age 48Herschel Johnson – Age UnknownRichard Allen Johnson – Age 55Russ Johnson – Age 55Mark Keener – Age 51Ryan Keith – Age 59Jon Kemp – Age 41Nick Kidwell – Age UnknownMichael Klasen – Age 51Steve Komives – Age 57Christopher Kvien – Age 33Michael Ray Lambert – Age 56Reginal Lankster – Age 55Sarah Lawler – Age UnknownSuki Lay – Age UnknownGary Lee Lewis – Age 55Dreja’nae McHenry – Age 3 monthsMary McKinney – Age UnknownMatt Maez – Age 18Daniel Marquez – Age UnknownDavid Marquez – Age 42Ranette Marquez – Age 56Richard “Leslie” Martin – Age UnknownJoe Martinez – Age 51Jerome Massey – Age 57Roger May – Age UnknownWilliam Means – Age 44William Meeks – Age UnknownRobert Miner – Age 68David Moeller – Age 45Ron Mondragon – Age 51Mark Murphey – Age UnknownRonnie Lee Neely – Age 48Dennis Nelson – Age UnknownDavid Nevill – Age 52Grady Nicholson – Age 57Stephanie Nickson – Age 41Tracy Oppenheimer – Age UnknownManuel Pacheco – Age UnknownNathaniel Passarello – Age 26Valerie “Allie” Perea – Age UnknownSteve Pitman – Age 54Mike Radtke – Age 46Lisa Ragsdale – Age 47Christopher Razze – Age 35Melissa Rea – Age UnknownHenry Renfrow – Age 40Delayne Richard – Age UnknownJohnny Rivera – Age UnknownLettimae Robertson – Age 52Russell Robey – Age 60Richard Rondeau – Age 53Theodore Rueda – Age 30Keith Ryan – Age 58Reyes Salazar – Age UnknownArmond Serracino – Age 45Art Sena – Age 73Marvin Shappart – Age 45Daud Shah – Age 33Robert Sheneman, Jr. – Age 42Matthew Shoop – Age 28Logan Sisson – Age UnknownEdward Smith – Age 61Jake Smith – Age 41Lee Smith, Jr. – Age UnknownRickey Ray Smith – Age 54Thomas Smith – Age 61Andrew Sosis – Age 31Michelle Sterud – Age 57Daniel Stewart – Age 45John Stone – Age 50Henry Summers – Age 63Kurt Swann – Age UnknownLouise Taylor-Davis – Age 54Kenneth Thigpen – Age UnknownCurtis Thomas – Age UnknownJoseph Torres – Age 47Anthony Valdez – Age 60Eddie Valdez – Age UnknownPatrick Valdez – Age UnknownGlen Vavarek – Age UnknownReggie Verge – Age 53Silvia Vigil – Age 51Lanny Waldon – Age UnknownJerry Wesland – Age 56Dana White Calf – Age 34David Wilson – Age 61Gerald Wingerter – Age 53Norman Wright – Age 46King “Kennie” Yazzie – Age 69
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