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From Where I Stand: Notes from our President
The month of January has always been a favorite of mine, named after the Roman God Janus for the ability to turn one face to reflect upon the past with yet another face freshly pointed to the future. I cannot think of a better representation of this than Hospital to Home. This initiative is demonstrating reduction in avoidable hospital emergency department visits while improving housing stability and health for individuals who are homeless, and who have complex, chronic health conditions and have few resources. People in this situation often turn frequently to hospital emergency departments for help with ongoing health concerns.
Since 2009, we have been a partner in the Hospital to Home (H2H) initiative, engaging and serving these individuals to help them improve their health, stability and quality of life. This past December we released the first outcomes summary, prepared by Wilder Research, for individuals participating in this innovative project.
Each of these individuals is now “looking back” on homelessness, poor health and a sense of hopelessness; while “looking forward” to improved health and the safety and security of stable housing. Meet Bill, a client served through this initiative. (see page 2 for Bill’s story)
Bill: Individual Served, Son, Friend, Neighbor
“It feels good to have some independence back and contribute to the needs of my daily life”!
Guild’s community health services team ensures access to permanent supportive housing and allows services to follow participants, wherever they are, keeping them engaged and providing continuity and coordination in their care.
Guild Incorporated, Hearth Connection, Regions Hospital Departments of Emergency Medicine and Behavioral Health, and the Office of Performance Measurement and Quality Improvement within the Minnesota Department of Human Services have partnered to develop and implement Hospital to Home. The information in this outcomes report includes participant outcomes through October 2010, approximately one year after most participants enrolled in Hospital to Home.
(To learn more detail about this H2H initiative, read the initial report and Factsheet published by Wilder Research in June 2011.)
Core elements of Hospital to Home effectiveness:
Hospital to Home staff have identified the following three core elements of the model that should continue to be evaluated and supported through resource allocations and policy initiatives:
- Coordination across all elements of the healthcare and social services systems
- Mobile services that “follow” and remain available to participants regardless of living arrangement
- Upfront and continued housing support services and subsidies
Future directions:
- The findings from this report support the need for replication and expansion of the Hospital to Home model. In addition, there is need for the continued measurement and evaluation of costs, benefits, and participant outcomes.
- Additional outcomes will be reported in the fall of 2012, when data are available to examine longer-term outcomes.
