Minnesota hospitals collaborate on respite unit for homeless: 5 things to know

Kelly Gooch -

Three hospitals in Saint Paul, Minn., are partnering with the local Catholic Charities to help provide respite care for the homeless.

Here are five things to know.

1. Organizations involved in the effort are United Hospital, part of Allina Health, Regions Hospital, part of HealthPartners, and Saint Joseph's Hospital, part of HealthEast.

2. The hospitals introduced a 16-bed medical respite unit, which is housed at Catholic Charities Higher Ground Saint Paul — part of the new Dorothy Day Place — in Saint Paul, according to a news release.

3. The unit aims to help homeless people with medically and psychiatrically complex issues recover after hospital stays, the release states. Partners on the project said they also ultimately expect the respite unit to help decrease emergency room visits and lower the amount of expensive medical care needed.

4. Services offered at the unit include nurse care coordination, medication assistance and behavioral health services.

5. "Our vision for Dorothy Day Place is simple: by working together, we can better help those in need," Mary Brainerd, president and CEO of HealthPartners and co-chair of the Capital Campaign for Dorothy Day Place, said in the release. "This partnership of three major hospitals and also other key partners represents the best in our community, offering those experiencing homelessness a place to recover and heal in dignity."

 

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