Awarded to Address Housing, Health Care Needs of Homeless
Dignity Health Dominican Hospital has awarded a $200,000 grant to support the United Way of Santa Cruz County’s Smart Path to Housing and Health program, a first-of-its-kind initiative addressing the housing and health care needs of the county’s homeless population.
“The Smart Path to Housing and Health program really addresses the long-term health of our homeless population,” said Martina O’Sullivan, director for community engagement at Dominican Hospital. “It allows for an unprecedented level of coordination and information-sharing, enabling homeless services providers to see which services are most needed in specific locations across the county.”
The Smart Path program enables homeless services providers throughout Santa Cruz County to record information about the population they serve and offer the most appropriate referrals based on that information. This screening and referral service will result in a shared database to track the needs of this population, and inform strategies and priorities for other community programs. Homeless services providers will be able to access the Smart Path tools via handheld devices in order to streamline the process of providing referrals while in the field.
Smart Path builds upon the experience and relationships established through the Santa Cruz County 180/2020 multi-agency initiative, which brings together agencies to coordinate and prioritize permanent housing and services for the homeless. Funding for the Smart Path program was awarded as part of the Dignity Health Social Innovation Partnership Grant program.
“Through the innovative Smart Path handheld device and shared database, we are transforming the way in which health care is delivered to this vulnerable population,” said Mary Lou Goeke, executive director for United Way of Santa Cruz County. “This technology allows us to create a true continuum of assistance for each homeless person and homeless family.”
In addition to the Smart Path grant, Dominican Hospital has awarded four grants to local non-profits as part of the Dignity Health Community Grants program, including the Homeless Services Center of Santa Cruz County, Encompass Community Services, and RotaCare Santa Cruz Free Clinic.
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Dignity Health Dominican Hospital has been caring for the Santa Cruz County community for more than 70 years, offers emergency services and is a Certified Stroke Center and Chest Pain Center.