California Medical Association (CMA) President Peter N. Bretan, M.D., issued the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom's plan to tackle California's homeless crisis:

"California physicians share Gov. Newsom’s view that addressing homelessness is not only a moral imperative for our communities and our state, but also an important health issue that impacts the well-being of California as a whole. Not only does homelessness cause health problems, it perpetuates and exacerbates poor health by impeding efforts to treat illnesses. Additionally, the chronically homeless are often patients with multiple untreated chronic diseases, contributing to a public health crisis that cannot be adequately addressed by emergency care only.

"CMA and its 48,000 physician members stand ready to help California address its growing homelessness crisis and ensure that people living in or near homelessness have the ability to access the health care they need to help them remain safe, independent and stable."