NYC Health + Hospitals serves approximately 50,000 unhoused patients across the city, about half of whom are in long-term shelters.
The data showing higher visits to emergency rooms among the homeless and their higher levels of general sickness are well documented. One possible solution, therefore? House such patients and costs will come down across the system as they lead better, healthier lives.
"Housing is vital to health outcomes, particularly among patients who are vulnerable with complex health conditions," Leora Jontef, assistant vice president of housing and real estate, told Becker's in an interview. "Compared with housed patients, they visit the ED more, they have more comorbidities and they have more behavioral health issues."
A public health system with 11 acute care hospitals, NYC Health + Hospitals has the benefit of working with other public systems in the city to aid collaboration on the multi-pronged issue that is homelessness. It is also a landowner.
"We have land, and real estate is a hot commodity in New York," Ms. Jontef said.
But its big-picture approach is perhaps unusual in health systems and, despite the heavy upfront costs in building affordable housing, the longer-term benefits are well accepted both internally and as part of an overall strategy to fight homelessness in the city across governmental entities.
The health system is building a second 93-unit affordable housing complex on its Woodhull campus in Brooklyn next to an existing 89-unit complex. NYC Health + Hospitals also said March 30 it is helping 600 unhoused patients with one-on-one enhanced support to apply for housing as part of the city's Housing for Health initiative.
"The intergovernmental work is very challenging, but we all work in a collaborative fashion with our sister agencies," Ms. Jontef said. "We have a vision, and it is aligned with our purpose and mission to serve all New Yorkers."