Leveraging Social Risk Factor Screening Infrastructure in Rheumatology Clinics to Respond to Rising Rates of Tuberculosis Among Individuals Experiencing Homelessness
Rebecca Summit, Dylan B. Tierney, Taussia Boadi, Tyler Green, Karli Retzel, Virginia Bills, Nancy A. Shadick, Leah Santacroce, Sara R. Schoenfeld, Candace H. Feldman · 2026
Read Leveraging Social Risk Factor Screening Infrastructure in Rheumatology Clinics to Respond to Rising Rates of Tuberculosis Among Individuals Experiencing Homelessness by Rebecca Summit, Dylan B. Tierney, Taussia Boadi, Tyler Green, Karli Retzel, Virginia Bills, Nancy A. Shadick, Leah Santacroce, Sara R. Schoenfeld, Candace H. Feldman (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13163916.txt.
Description
Rebecca Summit and co-authors describe a fast response in 2026 to rising tuberculosis rates among homeless people in Massachusetts. Patients with joint and immune diseases often take drugs that weaken the immune system, which raises their TB risk. A public alert warned that TB was spreading in shelters and on the streets.
The clinic already screened patients for social risks like housing trouble, so staff could quickly find those in danger. They flagged thirty-three patients with recent housing instability, most on immune-suppressing drugs, and alerted their doctors. Some doctors then ordered TB tests or reviewed symptoms, though replies varied. The team says the built-in screening let them act at once, and work continues.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Rebecca Summit, Dylan B. Tierney, Taussia Boadi, Tyler Green, Karli Retzel, Virginia Bills, Nancy A. Shadick, Leah Santacroce, Sara R. Schoenfeld, Candace H. Feldman |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 27 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |