BRATTLEBORO — In 2016, after analyzing its annual Community Health Needs Assessment, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital's Community Health Team hired an RN Vulnerable Populations Care Coordinator to be on-site at the Groundworks Collaborative Drop In Center assisting clients experiencing homelessness with access to healthcare services.
As the year progressed, a subsequent need was identified. Patients experiencing homelessness didn't have a safe place to prepare for or recover from procedures and acute hospitalizations, such as wound care or colonoscopies. Working in partnership with Groundworks Collaborative, they created a respite bed at the shelter for clients in need.
BMH Director of Community Initiatives Jodi Dodge, RN, explained the significance of the addition.
“A respite bed is a stable, safe, supportive environment where individuals who have health care needs can stay to rest and recuperate, specifically when their health condition does not require a hospital admission. Having a respite bed exclusively for BMH-referred patients will allow our Care Management team to move them through the care system and enhance the ability for follow-up and coordination of care.”
Specific services provided through participation in the respite bed program include: access to the RN Vulnerable Population Care Coordinator services, including education, follow-up assistance, and advocacy; a secure, private room with proximity to the bathroom and fully equipped kitchen; a food package upon hospital discharge and ongoing food shelf support as needed; transportation from the hospital to the shelter and ongoing transportation coordination; comprehensive case management for housing and other services; and secure medication storage and dispensation.