
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program receives HHS funding and has Federal PHS deemed status with respect to certain health or health-related claims, including medical malpractice claims, for itself and its covered individuals.
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From health insurance to food stamps to housing vouchers, people experiencing homelessness must navigate a complex web of policies and processes to get their basic needs met. For people just trying to survive, this can feel like an impossible task.
BHCHP believes no patient should lack access to the support they need to stay well because a system is too complicated to navigate or a benefit is too time-consuming to apply for. That’s where our case managers come in—meeting patients where they are, from hospitals to shelters to the streets; building trust with them; and helping them access housing, social services, recovery programs, and more.
Case management is essential to what we do: It ensures patients can access the psychosocial resources that make health care more effective, and offers them a trusted confidant to rely on amid the isolation that so often comes with homelessness. Case managers are experts in the policies and procedures of social services and cheerleaders through and through, accompanying patients on every step of their journey.
Filling out lengthy applications, understanding convoluted policies, and getting to and from appointments can be daunting tasks for anyone–especially for people experiencing homelessness, who may not know where their next meal will come from or if they will have money for bus fare.
That makes our case managers crucial partners to our patients as they navigate complex systems on top of facing their own life and health challenges. Case managers spend months, sometimes years, cultivating trusting relationships with patients to best be able to learn, advocate for, and meet their needs. Once a patient and case manager establish their unique rapport, effective health care becomes that much more possible, as the case managers knows what services the patient needs access to within BHCHP and through our governmental and non-governmental collaborators. Through the entire relationship, from first introductions to years in, case managers work with patients wherever they are—in shelters, jails, courthouses, on the streets, or at home—to guarantee patients get the care they need.
Our case managers coordinate patient care across BHCHP services, including our behavioral health, medical, and substance use disorder teams. Case managers also help patients access support from other providers and programs across Greater Boston. That support includes essentials like housing, food, and transportation, as well as legal services, education, and employment opportunities.
Case managers don’t just refer; they also physically accompany patients in need to medical appointments, court dates, social services offices, and more, deepening trust and personal bonds that in and of themselves are therapeutic and a form of care. Often, our patients are not only navigating shelters, courtrooms, and clinics, but also their own trauma, grief, and recovery journeys. Our case managers offer compassionate, non-judgmental support as patients get their basic needs met, identify their goals, continue on the path to healing.
“Our ability to build deep and effective working relationships with our patients allow us to intervene to address systemic barriers to care, improve overall quality of life and provide ongoing, patient-driven support for a population that is very marginalized.”
James Apt, medical case manager
Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program receives HHS funding and has Federal PHS deemed status with respect to certain health or health-related claims, including medical malpractice claims, for itself and its covered individuals.