Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #27FY0102
Broward House ALF
Requester:		Will Trower			Organization:		North Broward Hospital District
Project Title:		Broward House ALF			Date Submitted:		12/18/2001 11:46:54 AM
Sponsors:		Walter Campbell
Statewide Interest:
Improvement in the quality and accessibility of health care services and health outcomes for homeless, low income and medically compromised patients in Broward County. Reduction in cost to taxpayers due to improved health status. Improvement in status of health for patients also affords them the opportunity to more readily hold gainful employment and contribute to the community.
Recipient:		Broward House Inc.			Contact:		Tom Shidaker
		417 SE 18th Court			Contact Phone:		(954) 522-4749
		Fort Lauderdale 33316
Counties:		Broward
Gov't Entity:			Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit):					Yes
Project Description:
The funds will be used to purchase a building to house the Broward House Medical Respite facility, an assisted living facility. This ALF will provide medical respite for nearly 600 medically compromised low-income residents. The program provides a supportive housing environment for low income, homeless, and medically compromised individuals to recuperate upon leaving the hospital. The current options available to individuals who are medically ready for discharge from a hospital, but who are financially indigent and unable to find suitable housing are limited. This lack of appropriate placement most frequently results in continuing hospitalization at $600-$900 per day or discharge to the streets. Medical respite is a cost effective, client sensitive alternative. This project's goals are consistent with the state's goals to address homelessness and to improve the health status of the community. In addition, the program provides low cost, recuperative care that will increase the benefit to the individual by pooling community resources into a centralized respite facility. The Broward House respite program nurse, case managers, substance abuse and mental health counselors, and dietary staff help clients avoid medical complications and obtain complete recovery in a safe, caring environment. The staff along with their community partners in the program addresses the individual's unique concerns and develops a plan of care to meet those specific concerns. The program interrupts the indigent homeless process by promoting recovery and linking the person to support services to assist him/her to become self-sufficient. Over the past year, the Broward County homeless Initiative Partnership, Inc., along with health and homeless advocacy/service organizations, has been examining the need for respite services for the homeless population. Limited data on homeless persons discharged from area hospitals have been collected through discussions with discharge planning staff and review of utilization statistics. These data reveal the following critical indicators: Of "traditional homeless" discharges, over 80% do not have or qualify for public or commercial insurance. Approximately, 12% are below the age of 18 years, 65% are between the ages of 18 to 49 years, 15% are between the ages of 50 and 65 years, and 5% are 65 + years of age. According to Broward General Medical Center, over 50% of the "traditional homeless" admissions are trauma related. This includes injuries sustained from pedestrian accidents, fights and accidental injuries. Of the estimated 2,820 annual "traditional homeless" discharges, approximately 70% need some type of post-discharge recuperative care. An estimated 25% required skilled nursing care (511), 50% require intermediate or moderate care (1,022) and 25% require minimal care such as bed rest, fluids and supervision. It is estimated that as much as one third of this population are re-admissions. The ability for these patients to stay in an assisted living facility would greatly impact this number for the better. The Broward House respite program is a collaborative project involving multiple partners, including the North Broward Hospital District, South Broward Hospital District, Broward County Government, Department of Health, and various state and federal non-profit foundations. These sources, however, barely cover the cost of the day to day operations
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
Improvement in health outcomes, decrease cost in care, decrease in re-admissions, and decrease in homelessness
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:						$1,500,000
Total cost of the project:			$2,840,000
Request has been made to fund:				Operations
What type of match exists for this project?					Local
					In-Kind Amount:		$1,340,000
Was this project previously funded by the State?							No
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?							No
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?							No
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?							No
Is there a documented need for this project?							Yes
	Documentation:		North Broward Hospital District patient date, Broward County date, DOH
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?							Yes
	Hearing Body:		Broward County Legislative Delegation
	Meeting Date:		8/27/2001