NEW SACRAMENTO PROJECT AIMS TO REDUCE HEALTH-CARE COSTS AND USE OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — The Sacramento Effective Medical Project today received a $900,000 grant to link frequent users of emergency services to available social, psychiatric and health-related services in the community. The grant is a part of the Frequent Users of Health Services Initiative, a five-year, $10 million program aimed at creating a cost-effective, comprehensive and coordinated health-care delivery system to address the unique health and medical needs of chronically ill, uninsured Californians. The California Endowment and the California HealthCare Foundation, two private, statewide health foundations, are funding the Initiative.

The members of the Sacramento Project coalition are also providing nearly $3 million of in-kind cash and service support for the project. This includes a cash commitment of $1.2 million from UC Davis Health System to support community services (primary care, housing support and mental health).

Many “frequent users” of emergency rooms and inpatient services are people with serious health conditions who also suffer from mental health disorders, and/or substance abuse and alcohol problems, and also may be homeless. Many of their medical crises could be prevented with appropriate proactive care of their conditions, avoiding use of costly emergency rooms and hospital services. The Initiative seeks to foster new models of health care that will decrease costly and ineffective use of ERs and hospitals, and improve the quality, delivery, and outcomes of health care for individual frequent users in ways that suit their unique medical and psychosocial needs.

“The Sacramento project offers patients access to a network of social, psychiatric and health services by using ‘patient navigators,’ who assess patient need and develop multi-faceted service plans, as well as ‘peer counselors,’ who mentor clients to access available services and support them in applying for government-sponsored programs,” said Robert Derlet, project director and professor of emergency medicine at UC Davis Medical Center. “The project was designed by the Sacramento Community Frequent Healthcare Users Task Force, a coalition of community-based organizations, county agencies, and UC Davis Health System. By creating better ways for this high-risk population to access and receive more regular care, it may be possible to both improve their health status and lower medical costs.”

“We hope our system of using patient navigators and peer counselors will redirect patients to those services in the region that best meet their needs,” said Peter Simpson, executive director of Harm Reduction Services and member of the Task Force. “Many clients would rather avoid the emergency room for medical care but need help in learning how to access alternative resources in the community. This project will help them create those opportunities.”

Says Derlet, “The Task Force’s one-year study of nearly 1,300 frequent users of the emergency room at UC Davis Medical Center provided the data to define common characteristics of the frequent users population in Sacramento and to develop potential interventions. We intend to begin enrolling clients in beginning in January 2005.”

The organizations participating in the Sacramento Medical Care Project include:

The program office for the Initiative is supported by the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a national nonprofit organization that works to expand permanent housing opportunities linked to comprehensive services for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and often have health, mental health or substance abuse-related disabilities. For more information about the Initiative, please visit their Web site.

The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. For more information visit their Web site.

The California HealthCare Foundation is committed to improving California’s health-care delivery and financing systems and informing health policy. For more information, visit their Web site.

Editor’s Note: The “The” in The California Endowment is part of its legal name. Please do not lowercase the “T” or omit the “The” when referencing it.