Illumination Foundation Hosts Director of DHCS at Medical Respite/Recuperative Care Center
By Pooja Bhalla, RN, DPN, Illumination Foundation CEO
Illumination Foundation was pleased to host Michelle Baass, Director of the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), at our Fullerton Recuperative Care/Medical Respite facility on August 23. DHCS supports the health of about 14 million Californians on Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. DHCS created the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) program to transform and strengthen the Medi-Cal delivery system, offering Californians a more equitable, coordinated, and person-centered approach to maximizing their health.
Illumination Foundation is a CalAIM provider in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. We provide Community Supports and Enhanced Care Management. CalAIM is a critical component of Illumination Foundation’s integrated housing and healthcare model of care.
We were delighted to give Director Baass a tour of our Fullerton facility, which provides recuperative care/medical respite and short-term post-hospitalization services to the most vulnerable clients experiencing homelessness. Our 150-bed facility includes medical oversight, case management, substance use counseling, connections to community services, housing navigation, and dental care. We also partner with Illumination Foundation Medical Group (IFMG) to provide primary care and behavioral health services. This full continuum of care is provided all under the same roof at Fullerton.
An integrated care model improves client outcomes and materially reduces the public burden on the healthcare system. Based on a study of 1,250 MediCal members we were able to reduce emergency room visits by 22.2% and reduce hospital admissions by 26.3%. Illumination Foundation was able to save a managed care plan more than $17 million or 30.7% decrease the year before and year after intervention. Learn more in this white paper.
It is critical to address all social determinants of health to meet the complex and evolving needs of those experiencing homelessness. Housing is healthcare and both need to be addressed together as part of a continuum of care.
We also highlighted our innovative housing models. Illumination Foundation Co-Founder Paul Cho presented LifeArk Modular Housing. Director Baass was able to meet a client that has been housed through the program at one of our 21 micro-communities.
Housing inventory continues to be a challenge in the state. We need innovative solutions to increase housing opportunities. There are many clients who are “housing ready” and have housing vouchers but there are not available housing units.
We were grateful for the opportunity to share our integrated housing and healthcare model with Director Baass. Collaboration with a broad network of partnerships, including managed care plan, provider, and community-based organization are key to successful implementation.
We are thankful for the state’s commitment and investment to the MediCal population and prioritizing housing and healthcare. CalAIM will be transformative as additional services are rolled out, systems are streamlined, and the whole person care approach is realized. Access to affordable housing and healthcare services is critical to meet the needs of our communities.
