Courtesy Photo One of the rooms available for patients in the respite program at Northwestern Medical Center. ST. ALBANS – Northwestern Medical Center (NMC) has launched an innovative pilot program that provides short-term housing to patients who would otherwise struggle in an unsafe environment at home.
This type of care is called "medical respite care" and the need is growing due to increased numbers of people experiencing unsafe housing. The pilot was inspired by initiatives already existing around Vermont that were filling the gap that many people face after going home from the hospital. In February, NMC’s Population Health and Care Management teams started the pilot, offering two apartments to people in Franklin County who need a place to safely recover from their illness or injury.
The pilot is funded by a $200,000 grant from the Vermont Department of Health. After gaining the grant in November of 2023, NMC secured and opened the apartments in February 2024. Since that time, NMC has housed 5 community members in the two apartments: a one bedroom, and a two-bedroom unit.
The reasons for staying in the medical respite apartments vary. One individual was in the hospital for surgery and then suffered a sudden pipe burst in their home which allowed black mold to grow. Another patient who had surgery lived in unsuitable living conditions while another was couch surfing and in need of a place to stay after receiving care.
Some of the services that the medical respite bed program provides are access to a variety of community resources which differ on a case-by-case basis. The Care Manager of the medical respite bed program, Erin Davis, connects with each participant and helps shape what resources to provide depending on the participant's short and long-term goals and needs. Some of these resources could include connections to Age Well, Vermont Chronic Care Initiative, The Howard Center, Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Primary Care Providers, Samaritan House, and more.
“When a participant enters the unit, my initial focus is on access to food, specific services needed by the participant and what their ultimate housing goal is. It is a patient-centered approach tailored to that participant's wants or needs,” said Davis. “The medical respite bed program has been an invaluable resource to our community,” said Amanda Wilson, NMC’s Manager of Care Management.
“NMC is really leaning in to understanding health inequities and putting interventions in place to help support access to healthcare, especially among those who are otherwise underserved in some way. The medical respite bed has offered equity to participants-some people just need more help, and by providing not just the same services to everyone but instead the amount of support and services that people truly need, we make long lasting changes,” said Wilson. Offering housing may seem an odd endeavor for a hospital, but Wilson said it ties closely to health.
“Housing is incredibly important," she said. “Our basic needs have to be met-we need to know where we are going to sleep before we can worry about much else. Maslov’s hierarchy of needs also demonstrates that it's not just housing, it’s safe housing.
” “When we developed the proposal for this program we focused intentionally on safe housing and opted for apartments to ensure safety and security, access and comfortability with Wi-Fi and phone service-things that aren’t a luxury, they are a necessity,” said Wilson. Davis said she hopes that this program will continue as she has seen first-hand the impact this program has on the lives of those who have participated. “Housing instability and homelessness is a huge problem in our community as well as the entire state.
Without this program it would create increased barriers to accessing medical care for this population. With affordable housing shortages and changes made to the state emergency housing program, it will only get worse for those unsheltered.”.
