Tapping into Health Resources for Homeless

Families

Susan Kline, MN ARNPHealth Care for the Homeless NetworkPublic Health – Seattle & King CountyFebruary 9, 2007

12 Subcontract Agencies &the homeless sites they

serve

Public Health Clinics &Programs

HCHN Database(1997 to date)

About 8,000people/year About 13,000

people/year.

(Includesdoubled up & at

risk patients)

Health Care for the HomelessAdvisory Planning Council

Public Health’s Community HealthServices Division

Health Care for the Homeless Network

About $4million budget(HHS & HUDgrants, local

funds,MedicaidMatch)

QualityManagementCommittee

Structure of Seattle-King

County HCHN Program

• Reduce the barriers to care and assure access

• Meet clients where they’re at…..– Location

– Address the health concerns clients identify (patient/client-centered)

• Assure patients’ (health) safety

Our Current Response:Multidisciplinary Approach to Care

Family Staying in an EmergencyShelter

Gets a visit with an EligibilityCounselor from YWCA Health

Access ProgramHelp Enrolling in Medicaid

Gets mental healthcounseling from the visiting

counselor from Valley CitiesCounseling & Consultation

Visit from the Nurse (CountryDoctor, Community HealthCenters of King County, or

Puget Sound NeighborhoodHealth Centers)

Shelter staff get training on lice, TB, first aid,

cleaning up bodily fluids, etc. from HCH Public

Health Nurse

Acutely Homeless

Chronically Homeless

Securely Housed

Acute Health Needs Health Maintenance

Health Promotion

Approach to Health Care

Crisis Security

Current HCHN Programs by

Subpopulation

Health & safetytechnical

assistance/training forhomelessagencies

TB Education,Screening &

Services

SingleAdults

Youth Families

Shelter/daycenter-based

Services

22-BedMedicalRespite

(recuperation)

REACH - carefor chronic

publicinebriates

Shelter/daycenter-based

Services

Support forHomeless

YouthClinics

Shelter/daycenter based

Services

PathwaysHome - Casemanagementfor families

AccessAdvocacy

(Medicalcoverageeligibility)

All

Public HealthClinics &Services

Emergencypreparedness

T.A. for shelters

Health Carefor IV Drug

Users

OpportunityPlace

WellnessCenter (Fall

2004)

Public Health Programs

• Public Health Nurses – Perinatal – 12 Months Services

• Maternity Support Services• Best Beginnings (First Time Parents)

– Children with Special Health Care Needs

• Moms Plus (Pregnant & Parenting Women with Addictions)

• Northwest Family Center (Pregnant & Parenting Women with HIV/AIDS)

Public Health Programs

• WIC Nutrition Program

• Primary Care Clinics

• Dental Clinics

• TB Clinic

• Reproductive Health Clinics

• STD Clinic

• School-Based Health Centers

Public Health Programs

• Environmental Health• Food Handlers Certificates• Emergency Preparedness• Communicable Disease• Tobacco Cessation• Nutrition Education• Healthy Homes Project (Asthma)

Strengths

• Rich array of services• Many health care

agencies are involved in the effort to serve homeless people.

Challenges

• Avoiding duplication of service

• Communicating what is available

• Creating an integrated system

Future Direction – Transition services from emergency shelter-based model to a housing first model

Public Health Seattle & King County

General www.metrokc.gov/health

HCHN www.metrokc.gov/health/hchn • Recommended Shelter Health and Safety Best Practice

Guidelines• An Influenza Pandemic Planning Guide for Homeless and

Housing Service Providers

National

• National Health Care for the Homeless Council www.nhchc.org

Locate Health Care Clinics (HCH Programs)

• Find a Health Center (Bureau of Primary Health Care) http://ask.hrsa.gov/pc/

• 211 Information & Referral www.211.org/

Health Information

• American Academy of Family Physicians http://familydoctor.org/x6973.xml

• American Academy of Pediatrics www.aap.org/topics.html

• Medline Plus http://medlineplus.gov/