Partnership HealthPlan of California has awarded the Yolo County Health & Human Services Agency $499,125 to improve the health and well-being of medically vulnerable people experiencing homelessness through the Bridge to Health & Housing project.

The Bridge to Health & Housing project is a collaborative effort between Yolo County, Fourth & Hope, Sutter Davis Hospital, Yolo Community Care Continuum and Woodland Memorial Hospital which will provide outreach, intensive case management and housing navigation for homeless persons with an acute or chronic health condition or substance use disorder. The project will feature a 24-hour response to Yolo County emergency rooms in cases involving frequent utilizers who are homeless, ensuring they are appropriately assessed and linked with services and shelter upon discharge.

This two-year grant award is part of Partnership HealthPlan’s Social Determinants of Health Initiative which aims to remove barriers that prevent access to quality health care.

Yolo County’s proposal was based on local data showing a significant service gap for people experiencing homelessness who are medically vulnerable. For example, Dignity Health reports 545 visits from 235 homeless individuals in their Woodland Memorial Hospital emergency room between November 1st, 2014 and October 31st, 2015, with some patients having over 20 visits in the year. Additionally, the most recent homeless count found 74 percent of the 498 people experiencing homelessness in Yolo County reported having at least one serious health condition.

The two-year Bridge to Health & Housing project aims to accomplish three goals, including: Identifying the most medically vulnerable people experiencing homelessness in Yolo County; Diverting people experiencing homelessness with medical issues from the local emergency rooms into appropriate primary care settings; Improving the overall well-being of medically vulnerable people experiencing homelessness by targeting four social determinants of health: housing stability; physical health; behavioral health and self-sufficiency.

For more information about Yolo County’s Homeless Services, visit the Homeless Services webpage under the Health & Human Services menu at www.yolocounty.org.