Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | July 22, 2024 | wbjournal.com Dr. Kavita Babu, co-director of the medical respite program for UMa- ss Memorial. While in the program, patients work with their case managers to coordinate all aspects of their needed care in- cluding scheduling and tracking appointments, coordinat- ing transportation to doctor's offices and pharmacies, and utilizing state benefits. Providers can come to the program to treat patients in the facility itself, and group therapy is offered once a week. e program is supported 24/7 by an in- house EMT who takes vitals and assists patients with medical needs. Clients work on health literacy, un- derstanding how the healthcare systems work, said Max Sharkey, respite care social worker for UMass Memorial. He said it's not always readily apparent why his clients should be going to check ups and follow up appointments, which combined with the other obstacles they're facing could lead them to choose not to go. He focuses his work heavily on the mental health and substance-use issues his patients may be dealing with. Sometimes that means connecting them those experiencing homelessness. Awarded $820,000 through the Massa- chusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Worcester respite program is one of five pilot programs receiving a total of $5.2 million in 2023. Minding the gap For those unhoused, the medical respite program aims to fill the gap le in the healthcare system for individuals who no longer need hospital level care but still require support to recover. "It's simple. I think in a lot of ways we're playing the role that well-re- sourced, supportive friends and family could play in other environments. But, this is very, very difficult for our patients who just don't have that structure," said AI GENERATED ILLUSTRATION | ADOBESTOCK.COM New pilot program aims to improve post-hospital care and reduce homelessness by providing a transitional facility HOME CARE, without the home BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer T ransitioning out of a hospital into a home care setting comes with its own challenges, which are com- pounded when a patient doesn't have anywhere to transition to. With the goal of providing a safe and supportive space for unhoused peo- ple to recover post-acute care, reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions, and transition individuals into stable hous- ing, UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester has partnered with the Framingham nonprofit South Middlesex Opportunity Council to open in Febru- ary a seven-bed pilot respite program for with community resources, and oth- er times it means just sitting and talking with them about what's going on in their lives. As one of the program's main goals is to discharge patients to stable housing, case managers work with individuals to find where the next step once they leave the program, as per grant guidelines, patients can only stay with the program for six months. "One hundred and eighty three days, it sounds like a long time ... but with that goal in mind, it goes remarkably quick- ly," said Babu. In fact, the low inventory of housing coupled with high demand means those looking to obtain subsidized housing can expect wait times anywhere from three to 10 years, said Leah Bradley, CEO the the Worcester nonprofit Central Massa- chusetts Housing Alliance. "Whenever you have a scarcity, the most vulnerable are going to be the ones that are not going to be able to get that resource," she said. Barriers to access From the obvious hurdles to the min- ute details, unhoused individuals face a myriad of obstacles when navigating post-acute care. For example, in addition to trans- portation barriers to visit pharmacies, if individuals are able to obtain their prescriptions, they may not have access to consistent refrigeration to store them. And if they qualify for in-home care, those services quickly become moot. "If somebody's living outdoors, and they're transient, or their encampment is no longer able to be where it was, where does the visiting nurse go?" said Bradley. For those living on the streets, adding in the complexities and challenges of re- covering from a medical stay, especially if one is navigating multiple medical issues, can become impossible, said Babu. Patients discharged from the hospital will immediately return because they weren't able to access the services they needed to properly heal, she said. It is medical respite programs like hers that she says interrupt that revolving door of readmission. "When you're discharged from the hospital to a shelter environment, now you're going to be responsible for obtain- ing and taking your medications by yourself. No one may be paying attention to things like how much water you drink in a day, or you may not have the pre- dictability of meals that you did in the hospital. And as each one of these tasks builds up … It's very easy for health to back slide," said Babu. And even when patients are dis- charged from the hospital with robust Dr. Kavita Babu, co-director of the medical respite program for UMass Memorial Max Sharkey, social worker at the medical respite program This AI-generated image from Adobe illustrates the frustration in provid- ing continuing medical care after a patient leaves the hospital setting.

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