Health Care Innovation Awards: National Health Care for the Homeless Council Project Profile
THE NATIONAL HEALTH CARE FOR THE HOMELESS COUNCIL
Project Title: "Community health workers and HCH: a partnership to promote primary care"
Geographic Reach: California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas
Funding Amount: $2,681,877
Estimated 3-Year Savings: $1,500,000
Summary
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council is working with twelve communities across various regions in the U.S. to reduce the number of emergency department visits and lack of primary care services for over 500 homeless individuals. The intervention integrates community health workers into Federally Qualified Health Centers to conduct outreach and case coordination for transitioning this population from the emergency department to a health center, thus reducing unnecessary emergency department visits and improving quality of care for this population. Over the three-year period, National Health Care for the Homeless Council's program will train an estimated 101 health care workers, while creating an estimated 17 new jobs and saving approximately $1.0 million.