The state Department of Health Care Services wants to interrupt the cycle between the street, the hospital, and back again by trying to house the most vulnerable and reduce their health care costs.
The project began in 2016, and is known as “Whole Person Care.” The pilot project is intended to model how Medi-Cal could take a more active role in addressing the state’s homeless crisis. For now, more than two-dozen county level health agency administrators are given state funding with the mandate of providing housing for the so-called high-utilizers who wind up drawing a disproportionately high amount of public services.
“For any health plan in the United States, the idea of providing housing as part of a health care solution is … You know, 20 years ago, nobody was talking about that,” said John Baackes, the CEO of L.A. Care, which manages Medi-Cal in Los Angeles County.
To read more of Matt Tinoco, KPCC, article, please click here.
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