The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) received a $224,340 grant from the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas to fund the Medical Respite for the Unhoused pilot program.
The two-year pilot medical respite program operates through a collaboration between UAMS and Our House Shelter, located at 302 E. Roosevelt Road, in Little Rock.
The pilot program will be the first shelter-embedded medical respite model, integrating clinical care into a community-based recovery setting, in central Arkansas.
“Patients experiencing homelessness often remain hospitalized after they are medically stable because they lack a safe place to recover, which can be costly for the hospital, reduces inpatient capacity, and can lead to poorer patient outcomes,” said UAMS Chancellor C. Lowry Barnes, MD. “Through the Blue & You Foundation grant, this pilot program between UAMS and Our House will provide medically supported recovery beds for unhoused patients discharged from the hospital, reducing length of stay, preventing readmissions, improving recovery, and connecting patients to employment, benefits, and stable housing as a pathway to long-term health and economic stability.”
Funds will be used exclusively for staffing, direct services, and essential clinical supplies needed to deliver safe recovery care outside the hospital. This will include:
-UAMS clinical staff including a part-time UAMS social worker and care transition specialist
-Medical supplies and durable clinical equipment
-UAMS’ program coordination, evaluation, and outcomes measurement
-Our House case management, daily support staff, and employment and housing navigation services
-Support Services to ensure access to medical and housing appointments
“Housing instability is a foundational driver of poor health, and without targeted interventions, clinical care alone cannot produce sustainable improvement,” said Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., UAMS provost and chief strategy officer. “Because of funding from the Blue & You Foundation, the medical respite pilot program will create a scalable model that integrates healthcare and social services, reduces unnecessary hospital utilization, and improves recovery for people experiencing homelessness.”