Merced house a respite for ill homeless

Ten beds in south Merced are estimated to have saved taxpayers more than $3 million last year, according to organizers of a program aimed at the homeless.

Hope Respite Care, a joint effort between Mercy Medical Center, Merced County Rescue Mission and other organizations, gives homeless people a place to stay while they recover from being hospitalized.

Last year, Herman Lee Bradford, 58, of Merced developed a sore on his foot. The Army veteran has diabetes. “It was not healing,” he said. “Then my whole leg became paralyzed.”

Doctors amputated his right leg in October, he said. The only places he could stay to recuperate have stairways.

Not only did Hope Respite Care become a place to lay his head, he said, “it gave me an address.” Nurses, physical therapists and other care workers can make house calls, but to receive such attention, patients need a house.

Organizers began renting the house at 900 N St. in December 2014 and have used it to help 57 people through the end of last year. They predict the number of patients will double this year.

Respite Director Lisa Hansen, a licensed substance abuse counselor, said half of the beds are used for short-term stays of fewer than 30 days, and the others can be used for those needing more time.

While the patients are recovering, Hansen also is able to work on connecting them with other services they need, whether that be simple items such as a bus pass and state ID card or something that takes more paperwork such as applying for Social Security disability.

By providing homeless patients with a space to recover, advocates say it saves money that otherwise would be spent on extended hospital treatment or emergency room visits.

Jason West, an analyst for the Rescue Mission, said the $3 million savings is a conservative estimate and is based on a formula used by the National Health Care for the Homeless Council.

Almost all homeless people qualify for Medi-Cal coverage, the California Medicaid welfare program serving low-income people, West said.

Roy Vickery, 59, of Turlock has been in respite care for about a week. Also suffering from diabetes, his foot was removed and he would have had to go back on the street without a place to stay.

“I couldn’t take care of myself,” he said.

It’s common for hospitals to move patients to other regional facilities depending on their needs. Bruce Metcalf, CEO of the Rescue Mission, said anyone who comes to the respite center from out of the county is sent back after their stay.

Organizers said the overwhelming majority of patients come from Mercy Medical Center in Merced, and most are from this county.

Hope Respite Care is modeled after similar programs used in Australia and New Jersey, organizers said. There are 77 respite programs of different levels across the nation. There are about a dozen programs in California, but they exist in urban areas such as Southern California or the Bay Area. Metcalf said that makes Merced’s respite house “novel.”

And, organizers said, other counties are beating on the door to send patients here or get the team to start a respite center in their communities. Organizers said they need to make sure the Merced respite house is solid before trying to expand, but that’s ultimately a goal.

Hope Respite Care has five staffers, a few volunteers and recently signed a contract with California State University, Stanislaus, to bring on an intern.

Mercy Medical Center staff members said the respite house helps to cut down on what they call “high utilizers,” homeless people who have to come back to the hospital because they never fully healed from their ailment. The hospital has given the respite center $145,000 in grants since January of last year.

“This is a critical service to our community,” said Brigid Ferrari, a social worker at the hospital.

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 6:53 PM with the headline "Merced house a respite for ill homeless."