Buffalo City Mission has announced a new collaboration with Amerigroup, in partnership with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York, to help eliminate health disparities for patients who are homeless.
The City Mission's Recuperative Care Unit, or RCU, will provide services to help discharged homeless hospital patients heal, and in turn help decrease the percentage of readmission rates to area emergency rooms.
Currently, released patients without homes are four times more likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days.
The collaboration will open access to the RCU treatment and services for Medicaid Managed Care members of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York. Personnel will also help homeless patients with enrolling in an insurance program.
This new arrangement follows a medical respite program established in February by the City Mission, Erie County Medical Center and the University at Buffalo School of Nursing.
