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Grant offers services for post-hospital patients at homeless shelters
homeless
A local home health agency received a $500,000 grant from Emanuel Medical Center to work with the discharged patients and the homeless shelters. - photo by File Photo

A partnership between at CovenantCare at Home and two Turlock homeless assistance agencies will be giving more access to follow-up healthcare to homeless individuals.

The collaboration will make it possible for homeless men and women who’ve been discharged from the hospital to receive additional care to help in ensuring a full recovery. The local home health agency received a $500,000 grant from Emanuel Medical Center to work with the discharged patients and the homeless shelters.
“Often when someone is discharged from the hospital and they don’t have a home where they can rest and recover, there’s a good chance they’ll end up being readmitted to the hospital,” said Ronda Malmberg, CovenantCare at Home Administrator. “This new program allows us to step in and provide up to 10 days of follow-up care for those individuals to get them back on their feet.”
CovenantCare at Home is partnering with Turlock Gospel Mission and We Care, both shelters providing temporary housing for those individuals discharged from the hospital. Health care providers with CovenantCare at Home will initially meet with those individuals in the hospital, but then go to the shelters to help in providing additional care such as transportation to the shelter and working with them on medications.
“The medical support from CovenantCare at Home is a huge step up in providing much needed health services for these individuals,” said Christian Curby, Turlock Gospel Mission CEO and executive director. “The extra care gives an added layer toward a recovery and offers a layer of trust that we’re here to help.”
The partnership has been in operation for several months and has now helped 40 people needing post-hospital care. Often the homeless individuals are receiving hospital care for pneumonia, wounds, infections, dehydration and poor nutrition.
“This service we’re providing in collaboration with the local shelters is all about the community coming together to make a difference,” added Malmberg. “That 10 days of services after they’re out of the hospital we give them can be viewed as the difference to being healthy or ending up back in the hospital.”