A few years ago, a woman came in to see Dr. Gary Bloch at his family medicine clinic in Toronto.

She had “just terribly, terribly controlled diabetes,” he said. “Her blood sugar was literally through the roof, for many reasons.

“She ate terribly. But she ate terribly because she couldn’t afford food. She took her medication sporadically, but she took her medication sporadically because there were a lot of pressures in her life. She often couldn’t afford to get medication so just didn’t take them.”

The woman was starting to develop complications of diabetes — numbness in her feet, kidney problems, vision problems, Bloch said.

His treatment? Helping her improve her income.

Bloch and his team at the Academic Family Health Team at downtown Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital helped the woman apply for the disability benefits she was entitled to — just one of the services they provide. They also help patients do their taxes so that they get benefits like the Canada Child Benefit, and apply for programs designed to help low-income individuals, along with other social supports.

The clinic isn’t giving away money — these are government benefits that these patients qualify for – but helping people do the paperwork can make a big difference in their lives, and their health, Bloch said.

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In this case, getting disability support meant that the woman had a steady source of income, he said, and was able to get some of her medications covered. “The change in her diabetes status was actually quite dramatic,” Bloch said. “Literally, her sugars came down by more than half. You talk to anyone who deals with diabetes and that is very, very unusual.”

Getting just a few hundred dollars extra per month leads to dramatic changes in his patients’ health, he said.

“Worlds open up. I know that sounds dramatic but it is absolutely what I see over and over again.

“Someone like this, they’re suddenly able to go rent a place, they’re able to buy food, they’re able to attend appointments with me and they’re able to often go to counselling.” All this improves their health, he said, allowing them to take medications regularly, eat better and take care of themselves.

From tent to apartment

Visiting Bloch’s clinic made a difference in Brian’s life. Brian, who lives in Toronto and didn’t want his last name shared for privacy reasons, used to be homeless.

He ran away from home at 14 and spent years moving around Canada, including 23 years living in a tent in B.C. and the Greater Toronto Area.

When he needed medical help, he visited the emergency room. One time, he said, “I got a ride out of Toronto as far as Highway 9 and 400, and I was on the on-ramp hitchhiking north back to B.C. and I had my third heart attack right there on the ramp.”

By the time he got out of hospital in Newmarket, he said, someone had slashed up his tent. He moved again, setting up at times near the Metro Toronto Zoo or the Ontario Science Centre as his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease began to give him trouble again. So he was back in the emergency room, this time in Scarborough.

Eventually, through referrals from various homeless programs, he got in touch with Bloch.

The clinic helped him get a prescription for his medications through a pharmacy, get funding for his special medical diet, get disability payments, counselling, and housing support. He also receives Old Age Security payments and the Guaranteed Income Supplement.