People experiencing homelessness often experience significant complex care needs, as health concerns are exacerbated by and access to adequate healthcare is curtailed by being unhoused. Medical respite care (MRC) programs were developed to address the dangerous outcomes that can occur when a person experiencing homelessness does not have a safe place to rest and recover after hospitalization. MRC does more than provide a place to rest: it seeks to address complex care needs through wrap-around care coordination and integrating health and social needs. Although the primary outcome is stabilization of an acute medical condition, MRC stays can disrupt the cycle of homelessness and improve health and well-being. This is accomplished through community and healthcare system partnerships, including hospital, primary care, and housing resources, with the use of integrated care teams.
This toolkit from the National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs was designed to be a simple and accessible way to learn about one of the least understood and most challenging aspects of complex care: making the mission and margin align. With support from The Commonwealth Fund, we interviewed more than 100 health and...
Starting or growing a new complex care program can be overwhelming. With the goal of providing person-centered care that bridges organizations and sectors, complex care programs are often structured differently than traditional healthcare or social service programs. Our Complex Care Startup Toolkit is a practical collection of guides, templates, and other tools to help you launch and...
NJ Spotlight, December 21, 2018 Lessons learned in caring for residents with highly complex health challenges in Camden and other New Jersey cities — have now been woven into a national playbook that seeks to help organizations everywhere improve clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction while better controlling the cost of care. The National Center for...