1 in 5 homeless people in
Sacramento County are 55 and older according to the 2019 Point in Time Homeless
Count.[1] Over 5,000 people are homeless in Sacramento
County & many require medical attention.[2] Hospitals are struggling to provide for these
patients who have nowhere to go after discharge, and the State of California
has stepped into action.
July 1st, CA Senate Bill
1152 goes into effect, mandating that hospitals provide written discharge plans
for homeless patients. Hospitals in the
region are accruing costs for taking care of homeless or at-risk patients,
often “patient dumping” at adult social services or other resources in an
effort to open up hospital beds. But a
lack of resources, homelessness, and chronic medical conditions often force
people to return to hospitals for further medical treatment, resulting in a “revolving
door” effect.
SB 1152 is part of a state &
county-wide effort to eliminate homelessness among Californians[3]. Recently, Governor Gavin Newsom passed a
state budget which fines cities if they are not actively working to eliminate
homelessness[4]. Sacramento Mayor Steinberg has tasked Sacramento
City Councilmembers with opening shelters and finding beds for homeless people
residing in their districts[5]. With hospital administrators and case
managers now part of the solution to eliminate homeless conditions, the burden
of a solution is left on our region’s hospitals.
Healthcare professionals are some
of the most overworked and stressed people in today’s workforce. SB 1152 now requires written documentation
that homeless patients have an address for where they will go after discharge,
with a priority set for shelters and social service organizations. Referrals for medical care follow-up,
information and enrollment in healthcare insurance if eligible, prescription
for medication, food & adequate clothing, and discharge transportation are
all required and add more work for hospital case managers. Hospital administrators are left crafting new
procedures and protocols, while finding additional funding for programs.
A Senior Connection provides our
clients with sustainable solutions for senior living & care options,
including specialized Transitional Care Programs™ for at-risk seniors. Our team is uniquely qualified to partner
with Sacramento-area hospitals to slow the revolving door. We have been successfully operating our Transitional Care™
program for several years and are able to save hospitals large amounts of
funding through our partnership. Our
goal is to ensure every homeless or at-risk senior can find dignified housing
placement with proper care.
[1] Sacramento Steps Forward, California State University
Sacramento, Homelessness in Sacramento County: Results from the 2019
Point-in-Time Count, June 2019, (21), Sacramento, CA.
[2]
Sacramento Steps Forward, California State University Sacramento, Homelessness
in Sacramento County: Results from the 2019 Point-in-Time Count, June 2019,
(14), Sacramento, CA.
[3] Hospital
Patient Discharge Process: Homeless Patients, CA S.B. 1152 (2018). file:///C:/Users/Brittney%20Juniel/Downloads/20170SB1152_91.pdf
[4] Bollag, Sophia. “California Cities Face $600K Fines If They Break State Housing Law in Newsom’s Budget Deal.” Sacramento Bee, 27 June 2019. https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article232023537.html
[5] Vellinga, Mary Lynne, “Council signals support for Mayor's $40-million plan to address homelessness in Sacramento”, Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement Sacramento, Feb.13 2019. https://engagesac.org/blog-civic-engagement/2019/2/12/t8bxq47gxana1vk53yl1v65kf3domh
Back to Blog