Creating healthier communities
California Hospital is uniquely suited to advance health equity by addressing the social determinants of health through pioneering hospital programs like Hope Street Margolis Family Center, which offers educational, early childhood, social and behavioral health services to low-income, working families. Since 1992, Hope Street has supported more than 75,000 children and their families.
Behavioral health, including substance use
Hospitals serve as critical access points for addiction treatment. One in 10 emergency visits and hospitalizations involve patients with substance use disorder. The Bridge Program at California Hospital supports the Emergency Department as a primary access point for the treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions. The approach combines Medication Assistance Treatment (to ease the effects of substance withdrawal) with a Substance Use Navigator (SUN) who provides a holistic assessment of the patient’s needs, connections to immediate resources and ongoing support after discharge. SUNs reduce care delays, prevent readmissions and improve hospital workflow.
Training the next generation
Established in 1984, the Family Medicine Residency Program at California Hospital Medical Center provides comprehensive training to family physicians who care for our diverse, urban, medically underserved population, preparing them to excel in academic and clinical careers by practicing the full continuum of health care—from prenatal to geriatrics—with an emphasis on humankindness.
Homelessness
In partnership with Samaritan, a support platform, we extend direct financial and social assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness, aiding them in achieving housing and life goals. Since its inception in May 2022, the Samaritan program at CHMC has positively impacted more than 200 vulnerable patients.
Unique only to California Hospital, the Frequent Utilizer System Engagement (FUSE) Program provides patients who are chronically homeless with community-based case management and housing navigation services to reduce avoidable emergency department visits and hospitalization.
Human trafficking
The Human Trafficking (HT) Response Program helps to equip our care providers to identify patients who may be vulnerable to human trafficking or other types of abuse, neglect, and violence, and to provide trauma-informed, healing-centered care and services to affected patients and families. This includes patient education, survivor-centered intervention assistance, including warm referrals (i.e., personal introductions) to community agencies, such as law enforcement, county welfare, and non-governmental agencies, and continued care that promotes healing and recovery.