A Safe Place to Heal

Program Helps Patients Facing Homelessness

The Recuperative Care team accepts Enloe Health’s Quality Summit Award in 2024. The program provides patients experiencing homelessness temporary housing, medical care and more, so they can continue healing.

A young man fell ill, landing him in the hospital for months. The hospital stay spiraled into him losing his apartment and dropping out of school.

But, through Recuperative Care, a collaborative effort between Enloe Health, the Jesus Center, Ampla Health, and Butte County’s Department of Employment and Social Services, he was able to heal, have a space to undergo physical therapy, and transition into a long-term shelter. Now, he’s healthy and back with his family.

“After being discharged from the Recuperative Care program, he stated, ‘You guys helped me recover and get back on my feet in one of the hardest times of my life,’” said Amber Abney-Bass, Executive Director of the Jesus Center.

The young man is one of the many success stories that have emerged from the program. Recuperative Care is a free program that provides patients experiencing homelessness temporary housing, medical care, meals and more, so they can continue getting well following their hospitalization at Enloe Health Enloe Medical Center.

The program has been successful since its inception in 2022. It saves the hospital money as it prevents patients from re-entering the Emergency Department. In 2023, 49 patients were part of Recuperative Care.

“We’re taking those at highest risk and we’re having success in getting them into the kind of stability that leads to improvement of health,” said Andrew Miller, M.D., Director of Enloe Health Community Health.

Improving More Than Health

The collaboration between Enloe Health’s Community Health, Case Management and Home Health departments, along with the Jesus Center, allowed the program to launch quickly.

“When you’re trying to bring about change, that requires trust. I think this program’s success has come from having people who are trustworthy and willing to take chances and risks,” Miller said. “We used an existing shelter that knows how to shelter people. We use an existing home health care agency that knows how to provide medical care to people. And so, we got to launch Recuperative Care and had 1,000 participant hours last year.”

Patients who are part of the program not only receive temporary housing, but also access to a variety of programs and resources.

“In the first 72 hours from when a person is referred, they are starting to connect with some of these really critical pieces that address their mental health and their ability to maintain or to acquire a little bit of financial and social stability,” Abney-Bass said.

Staff members from the Jesus Center, the nonprofit homeless shelter, assist patients in the Recuperative Care program by managing follow-up doctor’s appointments and providing extra support that’s needed to heal.

“We know that there is a degree of stability that people experience when they’re in the hospital,” Abney-Bass said. “Our goal is to extend that when they come into Recuperative Care and then ultimately to divert them from going back and experiencing street-level homelessness once their medical necessity for the program has ended.”

The program has yielded successful results. About 55% of patients in the program have transitioned into shelter or transitional housing, preventing them from returning to the streets. Another patient was a man who lived in his van for three years before entering the program. When he was admitted into the hospital for surgery, he originally declined going into Recuperative Care. But after a second surgery landed him in the hospital again, he decided to try it.

He shared that his dream was to have his own home again, Miller said. Once he left Recuperative Care, he eventually moved into his own home where he currently lives.

“He said the Recuperative Care program gave him a safe place to heal properly and to recover from surgery as well as to get back on his feet,” Miller said. “He was very thankful for all the help from the Recuperative Care and shelter staff that helped him every step of the way in his healing.”

The root of Community Health is making a difference. With Recuperative Care, the program showcases the result of various organizations collaborating to truly enrich the community.

“The benefit to the patients who are in Recuperative Care is really incredible,” Miller said. “This entire team is proud of the work we’ve been able to achieve.”