By Jennifer C. Yates
UPMC officials say it's not unusual for Pittsburgh's homeless to come to hospitals seeking help when extreme weather strikes. With Tuesday's subzero temperatures, one person believed to be homeless was treated at
UPMC Mercy for early frostbite signs on his feet.
"At Mercy we often deal with homeless people or
people who need shelters. Today is no
different," said Valerie Krasneski-Schreiber, R.N., unit director, department of Emergency Medicine at UPMC Mercy. "We work closely with
Operation Safety Net and all of the emergency
shelters. Unless they need medical care,
we try to get them to the shelters and often provide transportation or whatever
it takes to get them there. We always have extra clothing here and we give them
that if they need it."