Respite Care for Homeless After Discharge Cuts Avoidable Days, Readmissions.

An $800,000 investment in a respite program that provides a place for homeless patients to recuperate after discharge has saved participating hospitals in Santa Rosa, CA, $17 million in the first three years. Qualified patients get a bed in a ward in a federally qualified health center and three meals a day. The health center provides medical care and case managers who connect patients to community resources. Hospital case managers identify patients who no longer meet inpatient criteria but are too sick to be released to the street, and contact the program's intake coordinator to visit patients and enroll them in the program. Representatives from the three hospitals and Catholic Charities, which administers the program, meet quarterly to discuss ways to work together.