Housing is Health: Partnering to Establish a Medical Respite Center

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

Medical respite is defined by the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council as acute and post-acute medical care for persons experiencing homelessness who are too ill to recover on the streets, but not ill enough to be in a hospital. Cook County Health (CCH) partnered to design, implement, and operate two Medical Respite Centers (MRCs) to address the needs of housing insecure patients, including COVID-19 positive individuals.The first MRC (MRC-SSY) was a partnership between CCH and the City of Chicago. The MRC-SSY served housing insecure COVID-19 positive adults who required a safe space for isolation. CCH designed and implemented the facility’s infection control policies, a team-based approach with on-site and remote clinicians, and technology for data management, integration, and telehealth. CCH coordinated referrals from partners and supported City agencies overseeing the regional strategy. The MRC-SSY successfully housed 51 clients for their full COVID-19 isolation period.In partnership with Housing Forward, CCH opened a second MRC (MRC-OP) December 2020. CCH provides clinical oversight and operational support to 18-beds for post-acute care discharges. As of December 20, the MRC-OP accepted 15 of 17 referrals from health care partners, including CCH’s Stroger Hospital, demonstrating the low-barrier for program entry.