Jakob Emerson – 

Centene’s ‘Ohana Health Plan has partnered with homeless services provider Hope Services Hawaii on a new residential program for integrated clinical care. 

The program will provide housing support for the health plan’s highest acuity members experiencing homelessness, who also have behavioral and medical health needs that are too complex for traditional subsidized housing, according to a Jan. 14 news release.

A six-bed, publicly-owned facility in Hilo is reserved exclusively for ‘Ohana Health Plan members and provides integrated clinical care and case management for an average one-year stay. 

The program will also provide behavioral case management, a licensed behavioral clinicians for therapy and psychosocial rehabilitation groups, an advanced practice registered nurse for medication management, housing case managers, and a multi-disciplinary team working with health coordination for comprehensive care.

This model aims to reduce acute emergency room or inpatient care expenses, and improve overall behavioral and physical health outcomes.